And they lived happily
by inque28
Summary: English version of my story "Und sie lebten glücklich": This is how Iron Man 3 should have ended. We start in Miami harbor, accompany Tony in his attempts to cure Pepper and his heart surgery in Shanghai. It all ends with a certain necklace...
1. Chapter 1

I published this story already under its original German title "Und sie lebten glücklich", now I'll bother you with the English version.. :-) I have to thank a lot my two betas VirginiaPepperPotts and Miss Starfire, who both helped me so that my story doesn't sound like a google translation.. Have fun!

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**Chapter 1**

A shower of sparks dusted the night sky, illuminating it brightly, when the suits of armors exploded, one by one. It was nothing more than a fireworks display of exploding metal pieces and electrical components, but it was the most romantic thing that Tony Stark had ever done in his life. The work of countless weeks and sleepless nights, all destroyed in a matter of minutes; and yet he didn't care. Holding Pepper safely in his arms and giving their relationship a new start was definitely worth the loss of his suits. There were even greater sacrifices he was willing to make.

So they were standing there, tightly holding onto each other like two drowning people while they were surrounded by chaos. The chaos was comprised of blown up armors and the fires that followed their explosions, fueled by gas leaks and various flammable chemical available in the oil tanker. The devastation was compounded by the leftover destruction caused by Killian's super soldiers, human mutations resulting from the Extremis virus. But all that didn't matter to Tony. He just felt Pepper's arms around his neck, her warm breath on his skin and her unruly hair that tickled his cheek.

This perfect moment was suddenly ruined when the sirens of approaching rescue forces made themselves known. In just seconds, they would be surrounded by scores of firefighters and police officers.

"Hey honey," he said softly and gently letting go of Pepper's embrace. "We should get out of here, immediately. To be honest, I'm not in the mood for their questions, and you aren't dressed properly for a press conference either."

Pepper slapped his upper arm, but Tony just grinned.

"It's easy for you to say that. At least you _are_ dressed." Pepper looked down at herself, scrunching her nose in obvious disapproval of her attire. "Where should we go now, anyway?"

"No idea; we'll think about it on our way. Let's get out of here first." Tony took Pepper's hand and softly pulled her with him. While the two of them lurked through the labyrinth of shipping containers and debris, attentively staying out of sight of the rescue forces, Jarvis spoke on Tony's headset.

"Sir, I've requested the Stark jet. As it is located in Los Angeles at the moment, the jet will be fit for service in Miami in only a couple of hours."

"Sometimes I think you can almost read my mind, J. I just don't know if I should be OK with that."

"Well, it just appeared logical to me that you and Miss Potts would like to leave the city as soon as possible after this incident. Shall I provide you with an accommodation for tonight?"

Tony glanced over at Pepper. Even though she tried not to show it, she seemed to look pale and exhausted. A little rest would be good for her before they continued their trip.

"Yeah, go for it. Our usual suite at the Hilton Bentley. I want the jet to be ready tomorrow at 9 AM at Miami Airport."

"Yes, Sir. Consider it done."

Moments later, they left the harbor area undetected and headed for the main street. Even though Pepper was only scantily dressed and walking barefooted, Tony hadn't heard any complaint from her. He just didn't know if he should feel reassured or be concerned about it. He stared surreptitiously at her, but he couldn't find any emotion on her face. She just held his hand tightly and walked stoically beside him, ignoring the glances of incoming people. When they reached the main street Tony hailed a taxi. The vehicle stopped in front of them, and as they entered the car, they were eyed suspiciously by the driver.

"To the Hilton Bentley Hotel in South Beach," Tony directed the cab driver, a dark-skinned, young man with dreadlocks.

"Yo, man! Are you sure you're not giving me the wrong address?" he asked flippantly, but when Tony waved him off with his hand, the driver just shook his mane and hit the road.

Throughout the drive Tony and Pepper sat next to each other in silence. Normally, Tony was never at a loss for some funny words or a silly comment, but he felt that this wasn't the right time for that. Pepper seemed so tensed up and buried in thought, that he really didn't know what he should say, if anything at all.

"Honey, are you cold?" he broke silence after a few minutes when he noticed Pepper shivering. She looked at him with irritation, and then nodded slightly. Tony took that as permission to lay his arm around her and to tenderly hug and squeeze her. She seemed to immediately relax a little bit before she snuggled into him, remaining silent for the rest of the drive.


	2. Chapter 2

OMG, one chapter only and 11 followers already... I'm really shocked... :-D Okay, here comes chapter 2. Hopefully, I won't disappoint you... :-)

Btw, I finished a pepperony video, coincidentally...:-) I you'd like to watch it, you'll find it on youtube with /watch?v=Ks4E-dShWbs behind .com..

But back to the story...

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**Chapter 2**

When they reached the hotel, Tony paid the cab driver who drove away while shaking his head. They went to the entrance of the hotel, which was equipped with its very own huge and overly decorated Christmas tree. The entrance was guarded by a doorman, who frowned as the two scruffy figures approached the lobby. Pepper was in a belly top and a pair of leggings without shoes; Tony in a grubby tee and a hoodie sweater which was missing a sleeve on top of all, and both covered in soot and dirt. After noticing Tony's face that was bloody and bruised, the porter immediately moved towards them, effectively obstructing their passage further into the lobby.

_What do these tramps want here_? The porter thought, perplexed.

"Excuse me, Sir, but I don't think that I can admit you and your… _company_," he said politely but firmly.

"Well… David," Tony began as he read the porter's name on his badge. "Tell me: is Carl Steward still the hotel manager here?"

"Um, yes…why?" the man stammered, confused more than ever.

"Then please tell him that Tony Stark would like to move into the reserved suite, but unfortunately his usual clothes are not available. Maybe you didn't catch it, but my house had an unpleasant encounter with some air-to-ground missiles a couple of days ago. Here we go, chop-chop!"

He wagged his hand towards the reception, and indeed David moved at a hurried pace with a crimson-face. Pepper began walking towards the reception and Tony followed her. It seemed that she was increasingly having difficulty walking. Nevertheless, he thought he'd seen a weak smile on her face when he scolded the hotel servant.

Once at the front desk, the porter exchanged hushed words with the brunette receptionist before disappearing from the scene.

"Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, what an unexpected surprise!" The receptionist welcomed both, obviously startled and with a scared expression on her face, considering their run-down appearance.

"Hello Melissa, nice to be here again. We apologize for our attire, we… well, whatever." Tony gave her his most disarming smile to prevent having to explain himself further. "By the way, when does the hotel boutique open tomorrow morning? We need to replace our clothing, as you can see."

"Usually at 8 o'clock."

"Um, then we'd probably run late," Tony muttered to himself before turning to Melissa once more. "We have to be at the airport at 9, so…"

"Well, I think that's manageable, Mr. Stark. After all you're a regular guest," Melissa smiled back. "I can send somebody to your suite at 7; just give him a list of the things you need."

"That sounds fantastic! Oh, and I need a dinner for two to be brought to our room. I don't know about you but I'm starving," he smiled in Pepper's general direction who still stood motionless near him.

"Do you have a particular request, Mr. Stark, Miss Potts?"

"Tell the chef to surprise us."

"As you wish. Here is your keycard for the suite, Sir. A bellhop will take you there immediately. And uh… do you need medical assistance?"

"Nope, could be worse; just a few scratches. And, we don't need any escort, we know the way."

With that said, Tony walked towards the elevator, one arm around Pepper's waist, in his other hand the keycard. Surrounded by nothing but silence they rode the elevator to the top level of the hotel. The unusual lack of comment from Pepper worried Tony; she always had something to say to him. She had acted normal after she had finished off Killian with her bare hands, providing Tony with some relief. However, now, an hour later, Tony's worry began to slowly return to him.

Her body appeared to be unscathed, but he could just only imagine the way it looked inside of her. _Damn_, he thought, _that shouldn't have happened at all_. As soon as he had access to his lab and his databases again, he wouldn't rest until he found the way to neutralize the Extremis virus. He knew he owed her that much. The almost silent doors of the elevator opened soon. They set foot on the long hallway and made their way down the familiar corridor. Their suite was at the end of the hall; a hall which was adorned on either side with tall flower vases, releasing a subtle and welcoming scent. The scene was an extreme contrast to the environment they had been in just one hour ago. Instead of loud explosions and the sharp smell of burning chemicals, there was pleasant calmness and the aroma of roses and lilies.

As soon as they arrived at their door, Tony unlocked it and allowed Pepper to enter first. The suite consisted of a spacious living area with a comfortable sofa at its center. A flat TV on the wall and a writing desk completed the look of the room. A fully furnished kitchen was present, but Tony had never used it except for mixing drinks. The suite also had a well-spaced bathroom with a huge whirlpool tub as its central piece. The actual master bedroom sported a king-size bed. From the balcony, which was accessible from either the living room or the bedroom, and from all the available glass doors in the suite, a breathtaking view of the beach of the Atlantic Ocean was visible. Tony closed the door behind them and stood in place, not certain what to do while Pepper walked to the balcony's door and gazed outside to the sea.

"Hey Honey, how about a relaxing bath before dinner?" Tony broke the silence.

"Yeah sure, why not," Pepper answered without turning around.

Tony sighed despondently, but left for the bath room either way. Seconds later, Pepper heard the noise of the running water of the tub.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, dear followers! Here is the next chapter for you... this time with a little bit of Pepperony... :-) About time... right? :-)

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**Chapter 3**

Virginia "Pepper" Potts stood by the glass door that led to the balcony, staring outside. The sky was starlit, and the sickle moon's shape was sharply defined by the dark blue sky. The moonlight was that bright that you could clearly see the break of the noisy waves on the beach.

But Pepper didn't see the beauty of nature that lay in front of her. All that she could see were the images in her head which hadn't left her mind since she had left the harbor with Tony.

Fire, smoke, Tony's horrified face that diverged from her while she fell. Fear, heat, pain…and then… nothing. Her memory only came back in the moment when she smashed Kilian with the steel pipe. She remembered the feelings that had overwhelmed her in that second: anger, fury, uncontrollable aggression… but also power and strength. She hadn't ever felt this way before, and that scared her. These feelings had only subsided when Tony had talked to her and hugged her. But she couldn't help it. She had to create a distance out of fear it could happen again; whatever had happened to her after Kilian had infected her with the Extremis-virus.

Tony had promised to cure her. He fixed things… but… she wasn't one of his toys! And hadn't he also promised to catch her before she had fallen? But he didn't… With this thought in her mind Pepper felt a rising heat wave in her body, and the reflection of her on the glass door showed her eyes glimmering orange.

_No,_ she screamed in her mind, supported herself with a hand against the door und shook her head as if she could banish these thoughts this way.

_It's not Tony's fault, he wanted to save me…. It's not his fault…_ Pepper repeated this several times in her mind until she felt that the heat inside her had stilled. A look to her reflection revealed her that her eyes were normal again, too.

_Tony is waiting for me,_ she thought ashamed. Slowly she took off her remaining clothes and went in the direction of the bathroom. When she passed a floor-to-ceiling mirror she couldn't resist taking a look. She stopped startled in front of it.

Her long red-blonde hair hung down straggly and tangled. Soot and ashes lay as a grey cover on her skin and her hair and made it look dull. Her body was covered with black spots of grime all over. However, most surprisingly- and despite her disheveled appearance - there wasn't a scratch or bruise on her slim body. It was as if the fall had never happened. _Well, seems like I have to thank Kilian for letting me suffer the treatment's pain_, she thought grimly.

The bathroom's door opened a little, so that Pepper could see Tony standing in front of the wide mirror. He had undressed except for his boxers. He was carefully dabbing away the blood spots from his face with a wet towel. Compared to her, Tony looked pretty battered. His back was embellished with several bruises, and from the mirror's reflection she could see his chest and shoulders injured as well. His arms and his face had not been spared either, sporting bloody scratches. He groaned quietly when he touched the injury under his left eye.

Just seconds ago Pepper had been angry and disappointed. Now, however, the sight of him made her heart melt immediately. He had risked his life for her and endured multiple injuries. How could she ever blame him? She opened the door silently, but her bare feet on the flagstones revealed her presence. He turned around and stared at her as if he was seeing her for the first time.

"Let me do that," Pepper whispered, taking the towel from him and damping it. She then cautiously wiped the bloody splotches on his face. Meanwhile, Tony kept his eyes glued to her, trying to read the emotions in her face. Pepper knew; she should say something.

"Even with all your armors, you still look like a wreck….,"she said with a hint of a smile.

"I just looked for a reason to be patched up by you," he smiled back relieved. Pepper noticed that it wasn't the typical Tony Stark's I-am-the-greatest-smile that he had shown to the concierge earlier at the reception. No; it was the loving Tony Stark's smile that only she got to see in rare moments. Without saying anything else, she laid her arms around him and he immediately pressed her to his body.

"I'm so happy that nothing happened to you, love", he whispered into her hair. "If anything had happened to you…"

"I know," Pepper interrupted him and let go of him. She then pointed with her head at the bath tub: "I suppose our water's getting cold."

She climbed inside the tub first with Tony following closely behind. He took off the last piece of clothing he wore before sitting inside with her. The warm water felt wonderful to Pepper, and she felt she was slowly relaxing. She leaned with her back against his chest and her head resting on his shoulder, his right arm across her chest. Pepper shut her eyes closed and tried to enjoy this rare moment of peace. She felt Tony beginning to gently kiss her forehead. And this simple gesture made her composure collapse like a house of cards. The state of shock in which she had been since the end of the fight finally crumbled within seconds, creating a lump in her throat. A single tear rolled down her cheek, leaving a hot trace down her face.

_No, please don't_, Pepper thought desperately. She hated to cry, especially in front of Tony. She didn't want to show any weakness in front of him as she didn't want him to neglect his duty as Iron Man because of her. She didn't want him having to choose between a mission and her, no matter how much it pained her each time he was out and about in his armor. But now she couldn't help it. The terrible events of today had wracked her nerves too much, and for now she couldn't continue to play the role of the tough CEO and superhero's girlfriend. She sobbed uncontrollably, letting her tears stream down her cheeks.

Tony's embrace became tighter in an instant, and he cradled Pepper in his arms as if she were a child. He had hardly ever seen her crying, so he knew she was definitely more upset than he had thought she had been or she had let him to believe.

"It's okay, darling, just let it out," he said softly. "I'm so sorry for everything… please forgive me." There wasn't anything else he could have said at the moment.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks a lot for your nice reviews, and 'Welcome' to all new followers... :-) I know you want Pepperony, and you'll get it... later... :-)

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**Chapter 4**

A while later, both left the bathroom draped in their bathrobes and went to the living area. To their surprise, a serving cart with the ordered food stood there already. A note with a short message lay between the plates: With best regards from the Chef.

Curious, Tony lifted the covers to see what the room service had placed for them discreetly. He found two portions of flame-grilled salmon with asparagus risotto, chocolate mousse with fresh pineapple, plus a bottle of chilled white wine and a bottle of water.

"Looks delicious… Would you like some?" Tony asked Pepper who lounged on the corner sofa, still in her gown.

"No, not hungry," she answered him with eyes closed. She looked tired and fragile, but he knew she had to eat something. He grabbed a plate with salmon and a dessert cup and took a seat near Pepper on the couch. He put the plate in front of him on the low glass table, before taking the cup and wagging in front of Pepper's nose, seductively.

"Not even hungry for something sweet? You love chocolate, don't you?"

With one eye open Pepper squinted at the chocolate cream.

"Apparently, we both have our secret obsessions," she sighed and grabbed the cup from him as she sat up. "Spoon?"

"Coming up, Ma'am."

Tony watched Pepper smirking as she ate the chocolate mousse with relish at the same time he was getting his teeth into his salmon steak. It seemed that she slowly felt better. While they ate, Tony switched on the TV and zapped from one channel to another until he stopped on a news channel. A blurred video was been played, apparently filmed with a cell phone camera, which showed several flying objects, explosions and fires. Tony didn't have to ponder long to know that these were pictures of his fight with Aldrich Kilian. He turned up the volume to hear the voice over.

"_According to mutually corroborative witness reports the flying objects are Iron Man's armors, which seems to indicate that Tony Stark must have survived the attack on his mansion a few days ago. At the present time, it is uncertain in which manner Stark is involved in the events shown."_

"Well, there goes going incognito," Tony groaned while he put the last piece of salmon into his mouth.

"You weren't exactly discrete, were you," Pepper replied and rolled her eyes.

"To save the world isn't always… a silent job. Fury and his boys from S.H.I.E.L.D. maybe can do that secretly… but I prefer a direct face-off, you know me."

"Yes, I know. Unfortunately it cost our home which, again, leads me to the question: where are we going to fly off to tomorrow?"

"If I want to examine the Extremis-virus, I will need a lab and access to the databases of Stark Industries. And I'll need Jarvis." Tony scratched his chin.

"There aren't plenty of possibilities, right? We need to go to New York, to Stark Tower." Pepper moved closer to Tony and laid her hand on his back. She gave him a questioning look.

"The last place I want to be at the moment. But I guess I have no choice." Tony shrugged, trying to add a smile as if he wanted to encourage himself.

"You'll manage it. I'll help you. Besides, I can take care of the company from that place again."

"Sweetheart, allow yourself a break! Nobody expects you to pour yourself into work so quickly!"

"You mean the way you do, Tony? Guess I need my little distractions from what happened, too. The more work the better..."

"Hey, I reduced my distractions to a minimum, forgot that?"

"No, I didn't. And I'm very grateful for that. But this is about your company! I can't blow it up either, right? Somebody has to take care of it…"

"I see that it doesn't make sense to argue with you about that."

Pepper shook her head. When it came down to the direction of the company, her sense of responsibility barely knew any limits. Either way, she needed something to distract her for the next few days until she could control herself again.

"I'm gonna lie down," she finally said. "Tomorrow will be a long day. How about you?" Pepper looked at Tony questioningly.

"I'll follow in a second… I just have… um… a few things to do."

"Okay."

She stood up from the couch and headed for the bedroom. She absentmindedly rubbed her forehead and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. She could hardly believe it herself, but she was actually relieved that Tony didn't come with her right away. She didn't exactly know why, but at the moment it was hard to stand his closeness. Yet, at the same time, she wanted him to take her in his arms and tell her that everything would be fine again. The stress of the last hours had just been too much for her, it seemed. Fourteen hours at Stark Industries were no rarity and usually no problem, but being kidnapped, tortured and nearly killed… this was stress in a completely different level. Still clothed with the bathrobe Pepper pulled back the covers and snuggled on the pillows of the wide bed. Only few seconds later, she had fallen asleep.

Outside, Tony still sat on the sofa, thinking what to do next regarding Pepper. Even a relation handicap like him knew everything wasn't OK between him and Pepper. But what could he do for Pepper to forgive him and trust him once more? Maybe he would get lucky and it was just a phase she was going through due to still being in a state of shock. Or, maybe the Extremis-virus was influencing her behavior, and her strange attitude would end as soon as he had cured her. Curing her; he hoped that he could keep THIS one promise, at least…

Tony massaged his temples thoughtfully before he stood up with a groan. He turned off the TV and put the used dishes back on the serving cart. Afterwards, he entered the bathroom to collect the headset he used to communicate with Jarvis.

"Buddy, are you there?" he said quietly as not to disturb Pepper.

"Of course, Sir. What can I do for you?"

"Let the air crew know that we will be flying to New York tomorrow. And arrange the landing permission."

"Will you travel to Stark Tower, Sir?"

"That's right. Are the lab and the housing spaces rearranged?"

"Everything should be fully operational and habitable. I suggest instructing the housekeeper to fill up the kitchen with groceries."

"Yeah, do so. And activate wake-up service for 6:45 AM."

"I've already done it, Sir."

"Okay, then I'll try to get some sleep, too. Good night, J."

Tony took off the headset and went to the bedroom as well. Pepper lay, still in her bathrobe, curled up in a ball on one side of the bed. Her regular breathing showed she was sleeping soundly. She looked so peaceful the way she laid there. And just plain beautiful to him. His heart leapt in his chest while he watched her. He had nearly lost her today… After her fall, Tony had had no time to grieve, and then she had suddenly stood in front of him, alive and unwounded. He hardly believed his luck.

But he wouldn't be Tony Stark if he could just allow his feelings to show. Therefore, he had tried covering his obvious relief by being flippant. Deep inside, however, he was thankful that he hadn't lost the love of his life. He wouldn't have known what to do without her.

Tony silently approached the bed and blanketed Pepper. He moved as close as he could to his sleeping girlfriend and put his arm around her waist. He kissed her temple tenderly and wiped away one tear from the corner of his eye before he too fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, thirty followers already! I LOVE YOU!

But... there's something I have to tell you... *looking-seriously-at-you*

Tony says: You must write more reviews!

Uh oh, you better don't mess with a Stark... ;-)

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**Chapter 5**

_She is falling… _

_Tony… she utters, but no sound escapes her throat… _

_His hand is so close, but she can't reach it… he diverges from her more and more… heat… pain… _

_I'm burning… what's happening to me? Tony, help me! _

_She glows, blazes… but she doesn't burn… her hands… a moment ago charred lumps now are forming to new limbs… screams, noise… so close… the air is shimmering with the fire's heat… now she sees him. _

_Tony! _

_He's injured… Killian is going to kill him… her pulse races, her heart quickens, adrenaline rushes through her veins… _

_NO! _

_She grabs the metal pipe, strikes out and slings him away. She can hardly breathe… the air burns in her lungs… she drops the pipe, but Kilian isn't defeated yet. She detects a shadow above her… one of the armors is flying towards her… attacks her, fires at her! Her heart speeds up again, her muscles are tense. Like a reflex she takes a run, jumps, reaches for the armor and smashes it to the floor! She feels her body glowing and burning from inside, but she is strong, invincible, __**powerful**__…_

Pepper opened her eyes wide; she was breathing hard and extremely hot. Suddenly she realized why: her hands were glowing and her entire body burned like a torch! She got up abruptly, jumped out of bed, ripped the bathrobe off her body and stumbled into the bathroom. She grabbed the hand shower of the tub and turned on the cold water on maximum level. She jumped into the bathtub and let the icy water run down her overheated body.

"No, please don't… it has to stop…" she sobbed desperately.

Tony didn't notice Pepper rushing into the bathroom; the last days' insomnia had been taking its toll on him way too much. But when desperate crying reached his subconsciousness, he woke up with a start. Still drowsy, his hand felt for his side but the bed was empty next to him. He was wide awake immediately and saw the gown lying on the floor. It was ragged and had burn holes. He bounced out of bed when it dawned on him; the crying was coming from the bathroom.

"Pepper!" he shouted, his hand fumbling for the light switch. Tony found her crouched in the tub. Steam wafted through the room as the water had been vaporized within seconds when it had collided Pepper's smoldering skin. Nothing more than unrecognizable lumps remained from the hand shower, and the tub was charred in patches. When Pepper spotted him, she tried to fend him off with her hands.

"Don't come too close… I'll hurt you…" she sobbed.

But Tony was undeterred. As her eyes shone in their normal ice-blue color again and her body didn't glow orange anymore, he knew that the virus had backtracked. Therefore, Pepper wasn't a threat to him any longer. He took her outstretched hand and kissed it fondly.

"Everything is okay now… it was just a bad dream, Honey," he tried to calm her.

"And yet I nearly torched the bed!"

"But it's over. However, we owe the hotel a new bath tub, I guess…" he tried to joke.

Tony took the remnants of what once been a hand shower off her hands and turned off the water. Pepper didn't stop him He got a large towel, wrapped it around his soaked, miserable girlfriend and lifted her out of the tub. She was shivering and clung to his neck. He carefully carried Pepper to the living room and put her down on the sofa. He seated himself next to her and held her in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder. Slowly, she finally calmed down.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" he asked carefully.

Pepper shook her head.

"Usually, you're the one who wants to talk about everything…" he joked. He felt her exhaling heavily.

"I…" she began, "went through everything that happened yesterday one more time. The fear I sensed when I fell. And then the fear of you being killed by Kilian. And then this feeling of… power I had when I defeated him. I was a walking, killing machine, and at the same time I… felt… good." Pepper started crying again. "But I'm not that kind of person! I never wanted to be. What's happening to me?"

Tony stroked her back gently while he answered. "That's down to the virus. It doesn't only change your body, but also your behavior. It makes you invulnerable, but also aggressive. But I'll fix that, I promise. It doesn't matter what I have to do for it, or who I have to ask for help. I'll fix you up. I won't let you down, this time, at least…" His voice nearly broke down at the last sentence.

Pepper didn't miss his struggle. She separated herself from him a little bit until she could look into Tony's eyes. He had rarely looked at her that seriously before, allowing her to note some other things: remorse, regret…_love_. With one hand she touched the side of his face lovingly.

"I know that you're sorry, Tony. And I know it's not your fault that Kilian was an insane psychopath. And I also know that you… didn't want to let me fall. My mind knows all that…"

"Then you should listen to it!" Tony interrupted her. "Honey, you've always been the wiser one of us..." He forced himself to smile.

"Just give me a little time to deal with everything."

"As much as you need." He kissed the tip of her nose gently, then glanced at the wall clock above the TV. "It's only 5:30 am. Shall we try a little more sleep?"

Pepper shook her head.

"I can't sleep now. But you should lie down again. You've had enough sleepless nights already."

"Sleep is overrated," Tony grinned. "Besides, I won't lose sight of you anymore. When we're back at Stark Tower remind me to put a fire extinguisher next to the bed…" And before he knew what was happening, he had caught an indignant slap on his upper arm.

"Anthony Edward Stark, this is NOT funny!"

But his amused expression made the corner of Pepper's mouth twitch, regardless of how much she wanted to keep her severe look.

"Hey, I've got an idea how to pass our time."

"Well, Tony, I don't think THAT is the best thing to do now…"

"No, not what _you're_ thinking… but good to know that you're thinking about THAT. Hold on for a second."

Tony got up and disappeared into the bedroom, then came back dressed in his bathrobe and a blanket under his arm. Next, he walked into the bathroom from where he brought a second bathrobe (fortunately, the bathroom was well-stocked in this regard). He helped Pepper slip into the robe and then took her hand.

"What are you up to?"

"You'll see in a minute."

He headed for the balcony door and opened it. It was still dark outside and the cloudless sky twinkled with stars, but the rising sun could literally be felt on the horizon. Two wooden loungers stood in the balcony, a small wooden table in-between. Tony grabbed one of the loungers, adjusted the backrest to a higher position, and then seated himself on it, his legs dangling on the left and right sides of the lounger. He patted the space in front of him, inviting Pepper to join him. With a smile, she accepted his offer. As soon as she had set down, Tony covered Pepper and himself with the blanket he had brought along. Pepper leaned back, relaxed, and allowed Tony wrap her in his arms.

"When we both can't sleep, then we should spend the time well. I don't even know when was the last time I watched the sunrise," he whispered into her ear.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After the official jet of Stark Industries had lifted off from Miami towards New York, Pepper spent the time until landing struggling through the flood of e-mails and making some phone calls. Christmas holidays or not, some things just couldn't wait. At least the department managers had to be informed that Tony and she were alive and well, and that the company wasn't without their CEO. Furthermore, the work helped her suppress the memories of last night.

After dressing up in a new outfit - and the third cup of coffee - it seemed that a little bit of normalcy was coming back. While she was on the phone, Tony sat opposite to her with a laptop, seemingly working on something that kept him highly focused.

"Did you happen to work on a press release?" Pepper asked casually after hanging up.

"Eh? Nope. I'm placing a vitally important order."

"Vitally important? You mean, more important than explaining to the world that Iron Man has destroyed his armors? Or why fire breathing killers have laid an oil tanker in ashes?"

"Yep…"

Before Tony knew it, Pepper had grabbed his laptop and looked at the screen puzzled.

"You're ordering a new Audi R8? Are you serious?" she asked and lifted an eyebrow angrily.

"I can't go by cab for the rest of my life. There's nothing left of my car pool. And the sooner I order, the sooner I'll get the new jewel. I've already ordered a new car for you, too, by the way."

"And what about the press release I already got a thousand requests for? Shall I compose it alone? Or do you prefer to face the press in person? Once again…"

"Oh Pepper, don't be mad. Not that you'll blow up the jet as long as we're sitting in it…"

"Why is everything always a joke to you," Pepper sighed and looked away.

"I'm sorry, that was supposed to be funny. It wasn't… Okay, you're right. The press dudes will keep pressing on and on until they have a statement from me. But at the moment, I prefer not being in the spotlight."

At the last sentence Tony put on a lopsided grin. "Can't we postpone that for a couple of days? Until it dies down and I find a possibility to neutralize the Extremis virus."

"Well, alright. I will instruct our press office not to give any statement on anything for now, except that you're alive and that you are okay. And in a few days we'll go public. Agreed?"

"Pep, you're the best. Anyway, let me pimp up my future R8." He said and immediately taking back his laptop.

_How odd! For some reason, I had thought yesterday's events had stirred something in Tony, changed him. But apparently some things will never change..._ Pepper thought while she watched Tony. Was she angry? No, actually not. She had never known him act in a different way and either way she had fallen in love with him. Why should he do a 180 now? Yet, a certain disappointment preyed on her.

_Who cares? You have to concentrate on your work now_. She tried not to be distracted anymore and dedicated herself to her e-mails again.

An hour later, they received the announcement from the pilot that they would reach LaGuardia Airport in New York in 30 minutes, so it was time to change clothes. They had left Florida at a mild 70ºF, but New York awaited them with its typical winter weather.

_Thirty-seven degrees and sleet_. Pepper shuddered inside at the thought. She preferred California's warm climate. It was a small wonder how the manager of the hotel's boutique had succeeded in getting ahold of winter-proof clothes in Florida. Fortunately, she and Tony had left behind some clothing at Stark Tower, but they wouldn't get around without doing some major shopping.

She exchanged her pumps for padded boots, put on a cardigan over her blouse and placed her down jacket within reach along with a scarf and a hat. Tony covered his t-shirt with a knit pullover and made sure the padded leather jacket was close by. He then stared down at what he had always deemed as all-weather shoes: his sneakers.

Since Pepper had rebuked him for ordering the car earlier, she and Tony had not even said three words to each other. Sure, she had been busy, but it was very unusual for Tony to be that tight-lipped. He had stared down at his laptop thoughtfully and had typed something every now and then. Even his common banter with Jarvis had been absent. Perhaps, she wondered, he had already started with his work on finding the cure for her?

Pepper didn't dare to hope that she could get rid of the Extremis virus that fast, as she knew she had to patiently wait until Tony found the cure. Until then, she had no choice but to keep her temper under control. That meant either avoiding any excitement as possible. Or learning to control her _skill_ so that she wouldn't be controlled by it. Then again, if she came to terms with living with the virus, wouldn't it imply she had accepted that she never would be her old self ever again? These thoughts circled in her head like a carousel. Luckily, the plane finally landed, truncating the mess in Pepper's head for now.

"Oh boy, we really chose the right weather to return to New York," Tony remarked with a glance out the window. The sky was clouded and it snowed. If you didn't know it was shortly after noon, one could just as well think it was early evening already.

"The perfect weather to hole up at Stark Tower and avoid annoying reporters," Pepper answered and smiled to break the tension between them.

"Yeah, and we could break the new fireplace eventually… Maybe even get some of those sheep skins that you can use to make yourself comfortable on the floor." Tony said as he lifted his eyebrows suggestively and approached Pepper's face.

"But only after it's ensured that the fire place is the _only_ thing burning," she interrupted his flow of thoughts.

"You're killing me!" Tony moaned theatrically and sank back into his seat.


	7. Chapter 7

Good morning, everybody! Here's your chapter for the weekend...

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**Chapter 7**

After reaching Stark Tower, Pepper withdrew into her office while Tony roamed through the departments of his company to collect the needed equipment for his purposes. Because of the Christmas holidays, the building was nearly deserted. He met employees only occasionally which had standby duty or used the stillness in the office to finish some work that had been set aside. Luckily, he found everything quickly and returned to the penthouse rapidly. After Tony had arranged all the necessary equipment, only the most important thing was missing to start his work: a sample of Pepper's blood.

He left his workshop and went over to Pepper's office. She sat at her desk and typed on the computer keyboard intently. When she noticed him at the door frame, she looked up to him and interrupted her work.

"Hey. It's really scary how much work has piled up within two days, despite the holidays," Pepper sighed, but smiled at him.

"I don't want disturb too much. I just have to tap you."

"Excuse me?" Pepper asked confused.

"I need a blood sample," Tony chuckled. "Actually it's just a drop."

He approached the desk and brought out a sterile packed needle and a plastic tube. Then he kneeled in front of her and deposited his utensils on the table.

"Give me your hand."

Pepper obeyed and he smoothly took her hand in his. He turned her hand, palm facing upwards. With his other hand he took the needle from the table and ripped open the wrapping with his teeth.

"This is gonna hurt a little," he cautioned her before pricking the tip of her middle finger with the needle. Pepper winced briefly, and then a thick dark red drop formed which Tony collected with the plastic tube quickly. Her body wouldn't allow more than this drop as the tiny wound had already started to glow before closing completely. Pepper stared at her hand with fascination.

"Kilian could have achieved so much good with Extremis. Why did he run the other path?" she mumbled, more to herself.

"Just because you can make more money with weapons than with remedies. I'm an expert on that, you know?" Tony answered. "I'll go back to the workshop. If there should be anything…"

"I'll be fine for the moment, Tony. If anything changes, I'll give you a shout. Promise." She kissed him and turned back to the monitor.

Back in the workshop he started analyzing Pepper's blood. During their flight he had already dealt with the documents he had loaded from AIM's server, but now it was time to go into detail. The last time he had been involved with the Extremis formula had been 12 years ago. Therefore, he first needed to calculate current values to determine the composition. As he handled and adjusted the analysis instrument, he realized he had an important task for his virtual assistant, too.

"Jarvis, please keep an eye on Pepper. As soon as you notice anything abnormal with her physical condition, let me know immediately."

"Of course, Sir."

"Oh, and what's the state of the Mark VII?" After the last mission in New York, Tony had left the suit behind here, making it the only one to still exist. The Mark VII was technically obsolete according to Tony's understanding, but better this armor than none.

"Operational, Sir. I took the liberty to repair the armor in your absence."

"Yeah, I thought so… The suit ought to be strengthened against heat. In case Pepper mutates to a supernova. Figure out something, J."

"As you wish."

A number of hours later, Tony hadn't made any progress. He had encoded the virus' composition, but Kilian had changed it much more than he had anticipated. The healing effect had been increased, but for that it was more unstable than the version that Maya had developed originally. He knew he still had a lot of work ahead of him.

What he wondered about was the fact that he hadn't heard from Pepper since seeing her at the office. Usually, she took the time to check up on him every now and then, when he had sat in his workshop in Malibu for hours, reminding him to eat something or to take a break. And at some time or another, she would drop a hint that SHE would go to bed. But today? She had only once been with him to bring some dinner she had ordered at a delivery service. Apart from that, she had stayed in her small home office the whole day. Tony had to ask himself if she really had been so busy or if she was avoiding him.

_Wait and see, probably she just had to come to terms with a lot, give her time, Stark_, he put off himself. Physically she seemed to be okay; otherwise, Jarvis would have raised the alarm. A glance on his watch told him to break off for today. It was 2:19 am and for the moment he had a thinking barrier. Tomorrow he would continue rested, provided that he could sleep. At least he had survived the day without an anxiety attack surprising him. Maybe it had been a good idea to actually come here and face his fear.

Tony left his workspace and made his way to the bedroom, but on the way he saw the light still burning in Pepper's office, prompting him to go inside the room. Pepper sat sunk down on the revolving chair, the head rested upon one hand. Obviously she was tired to death, but why was she still sitting here?

"Sweetheart, why haven't you gone to sleep yet?" Tony asked worried and approached the desk. Pepper straightened her pose immediately before she answered.

"I had a lot to do, and I haven't been tired at all," she replied and Tony instantly knew that was a lie.

"Your dark circles reveal something else to me. You're nearly sleeping on the chair. Come to bed…," he said.

"I can't…"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Because…" She couldn't look at him while she responded. "Because I'm afraid of falling asleep… I'm afraid that last night's nightmare will repeat itself."

"I know what you mean." Tony leaned against the desk and took Pepper's hand in his. "When my nightmares started, I tried to suppress them first. Then they got even worse, and I woke up soaked with sweat, couldn't breathe. Sometime later I didn't go to bed at all and spent the nights at the workshop so I wouldn't think about sleep."

Pepper looked at him attentively as he spoke. He never had talked about his own sleeping problems that honestly before.

"But sometimes," Tony continued, "your body just won't go any longer. And the nightmares don't go away when you finally fall asleep exhausted, but it's the complete opposite. It gets worse because you ignored the problem instead of facing it. I should have talked to you much sooner about it instead of bottling it up. Don't make the same mistake I made, Pep."

His eyes looked at her pleadingly now. Was he right? Pepper wasn't sure of anything at all besides wanting to sleep. Tony saw her undecided expression and continued his encouraging talk with her. "Talk to me when you're feeling bad. I'll be by your side the whole night. Jarvis will watch you. If anything happens, he can wake me up. Plus, we have fire-extinguisher within reach…. _several_."

A timid smile escaped from Pepper's lips when he said this. Tony was just plain cute when he worried about her. And for that reason she loved him.

"Okay," she said finally.


	8. Chapter 8 - Part1

Sorry for the delay, but my beta is a very busy person (and you're doing such great job with my story though!). If you haven't done it yet, you must read her Avengers-Fic _Man in a can_!

Okay, the next chapter is somewhat different and it's three-part. Here's part 1. hope you like it... :-)

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**Chapter 8 - Part 1**

The night went by calm and without any incidents this time. As soon as Pepper had lay in bed and closed her eyes, she had dropped off to a dreamless sleep almost immediately. She awoke with a start a few times, but every time she did, she realized relieved- that she was lying in Tony's arms. He held her in a tight embrace, so she fell asleep again.

Three days later the situation was still unchanged much to their chagrin: Tony was frustrated as he hadn't made any progress with the remedy's development, and Pepper stocked up herself with work until late at night, so that she wouldn't think about anything else, and then collapse into bed tired to death. As exhausted as she was she slept a few hours only, still afraid of accidentally losing control of herself while asleep.

On this evening, Pepper was conducting negotiations for Stark Industries via video conference with a company in the Far East. Due to the time difference, it was early morning at her negotiation partner's office; therefore, Pepper benefitted from her present sleep disorder. In the meantime, Tony performed a series of tests with the serum, the results of which were being computed by Jarvis right now.

"How long will you need, J?" Tony asked eagerly. The first tests had been promising, but incomplete.

"The calculation of the serum's impact on Miss Potts' blood is completed, Sir."

"Spit it out! Does it work?"

"The serum causes a neutralization of the Extremis virus at 98%..."

"Yes! We're on the brink," Tony cheered and clenched his fist satisfied.

"Sir, there's more to come."

"What do you mean?"

"The serum also causes a destruction of red blood cells with a probability of 99%, Sir."

"Shit!"

Tony caught hold of the closest test tube and angrily threw it against the wall where it burst clanking. This had been trial #23 which hadn't brought the wanted result. He rested both hands upon the tabletop in front of him and hung his head with a sigh. Only rarely he needed so much time to find a problem's solution. And now, of all times, when it was absolute urgent, he seemed to fail completely; as often recently if it was about Pepper.

If anyone woke him up in the middle of the night and asked for science help, he could easily and mechanically recite any random physics equation. But when it came to remembering Pepper's birthday...Or buying her a decent Christmas gift… Well, he disappointed her again and again concerning said things that he considered only _normal_ people worried about. Not on purpose, of course, and she forgave him every time. But deep down in his heart he was convinced that she deserved someone better than him.

He loved Pepper, without a doubt; more than anything that had ever meant something to him. She was his life, his future. Yet, what had he offered in return? Hadn't he put her at risk more than once? Or treated her unjustly when his temper had run wild once again? Or just let her wait when she had needed him by her side? Wouldn't she be far better off without him? If he hadn't returned from Afghanistan back then, how much easier would her life be now… without him? Certainly she'd met someone by now; gotten married, already have children. Instead, she ran _his_ company since he was barely able to do it anymore. And sometimes she was more of a babysitter than his girlfriend, always making sure he didn't do anything stupid when his gimmicks and ideas got out of control.

Tony sat down in the chair beside him and grabbed the picture frame which stood in front of him on his work desk. In it was Pepper in a flowered dress, laughing, her hair tousled by the wind. It had been shot during one of their rare vacations together, and he loved this picture of her. In it she looked so... blithe, just happy.

If he'd now… no, he couldn't even finish this thought; it was too painful, but he had to. For Pepper. If he'd leave her now… didn't she still have the chance to live a normal life? Without his ego, his obsession, his selfishness, which he just couldn't get a grip on as much as he tried? But if it was the right thing, then why did it hurt so much to even consider this decision?

Damn; he needed a drink. He was overly tired and the thoughts about Pepper distracted him from his task. Luckily, he had deposited a small stock of red wine in his workshop. Not to get drunk, mind you, but to have some on hand in case he had forgotten again it was date night with Pepper and therefore hadn't prepared anything.

After the first glass, the thoughts were still spinning in his head. After the second glass, the pain in his chest finally ceased. When the bottle was empty, his head rested on the table in front of him and he fell into a deep sleep.

Some time later, Tony woke up disoriented. He rubbed his eyes and tried to gain a clear head again. He looked around, perplexed. This was definitely not his workshop at Stark Tower. He sat in a leather executive chair at a wide desk. He glanced around and realized in amazement that he was located in his old office at Stark Industries. Well, to be precise it was Pepper's office now. But how the hell did he get here? The last thing he remembered was drinking too much red wine. And now he woke up in another room, for God's sake, even in another city! And all that happened without having noticed anything? Was S.H.I.E.L.D. behind all this?

But there was something else that was wrong: Pepper had that metallic pendulum on her desk that would drive him crazy every time he was with her, because it moved nonstop. And since they had become a couple, she had a framed picture of both of them near the monitor.

Both were missing.

Instead there were several pictures of…. Obadiah Stane on the table! Each of them showed him with some Head of State or other celebrity. _Okay, what the hell is going on here? _He jumped to his feet from the chair and began to walk around across the room.

"Jarvis, are you there?"

"Always at your service, Sir."

"What's going on, J? How did I get from New York to LA?"

"Technically, you are still in New York, Sir."

"What do you mean by that? Am I under the influence of some drugs I don't know about?"

"Besides an increased blood alcohol level I can't detect any foreign substances, Sir."

"Then explain to me what you mean I'm still in New York! When I look out of the window, I see the Pacific Ocean and the skyline of Los Angeles, damn it!"

"That's right, Sir. Physically you are in New York, but in your dream you're situated in Los Angeles."

"Okay, now I'm completely lost. Why 'dream'? Come on J, tell me!"

"Well, Sir, you wanted to know how Miss Potts' life would have proceeded if you hadn't come back from Afghanistan. Your subconscious mind appears to want answering this question."

"My subconscious mind? You're kidding me. Okay, assuming this to be true, what you're trying to make me believe, why do YOU know that, but I don't? I mean, if it's _my _dream?"

"Well I, so to speak, represent that part of your subconscious which knows very well this being a dream. I'm here to support you with your insights."

"All right, you omniscient know-it-all, tell me why all these pictures of Obi are everywhere? Where are Pepper's belongings?"

"Well, if you hadn't come back after your kidnapping, it would be logical that Mr. Stane would assume the company's leadership."

"That's right… _I_ made Pepper CEO. Would she still be working here at all without me?"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of approaching steps. But before Tony could react, the office door opened and Obadiah Stane flounced in. Tony felt like a burglar caught in the act, but Obadiah didn't seem to take notice of him. He dropped on the heavy chair ponderously and deactivated the screensaver of his monitor. Simultaneously, he activated the intercom system of his desk phone.

"Get me some coffee, pronto!" he snapped into the microphone.

"Coming up, Sir," a female voice answered.

In his outward form, Obi looked the same as Tony remembered him. _Only, that he became plumper_, Tony chuckled to himself. With caution, he lurked around Obadiah and waved his hand directly in front of his face.

Nothing; no reaction. He could move around freely like a ghost! This dream started to please him! A moment later, he heard the familiar sound of heels clattering on the ground and approaching.

_Pepper_, Tony thought and for a moment he had a queasy feeling in his stomach_. _Was she Obi's assistant? Hard to believe, actually she had never liked him really. But if it had a favorable impact on her career…

The door opened and a busty blonde in a tight blouse and a short skirt tottered into the room. She held a cup of coffee and put it in front of Stane on the desk.

"Here you are, Mr. Stane," she smiled at her boss.

"Thanks, babe," he replied and stared at the blonde's back blatantly when she left. Then he attended to the monitor again.

_You randy old devil_, Tony shook his head. But was he really that different in the past? If he was honest, once he used to choose his secretaries according to outward appearance rather than due to their qualifications.

Until he met Pepper…

Okay, if she wasn't Obadiah's secretary, assistant, whatever… where else was she?

"Jarvis? Um… is Pepper in the building?" Before Jarvis could answer, Tony scolded himself. "Damn! What am I doing here? Talking to myself…or with my subconscious, whatever… wow, that's a new level of eccentricity even for you, Stark!"

"Sir, Miss Potts is located on the floor below us," Jarvis interrupted him finally.

"Uh, thanks, J."


	9. Chapter 8 - Part 2

It seems you guys like my little 'what if-scenario'... Let's see what's coming next.. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 8 - Part 2**

The _Holy Hall_ of reception secretaries and assistants of department managers; the meeting place of all gossip at Stark Industries.

_Did I just quote Pepper?_ Tony mumbled confused, and had to smile at this thought. She had once told him how much she had hated this place when she still had been his personal assistant. She hadn't been able to concentrate on her work, as there had been too much turmoil and bustle. But this hadn't been the worst thing. Pepper just wasn't a chatter-box, and therefore she hadn't been interested in the in-house rumor-mill. It had been ages since Tony had been there himself. Indeed, this place had belonged to his preferred '_hunting grounds' _for a while.

_Alright, a change of location_. Tony paced the office, wanting to open the door, but his hand just slid through the handle of the door. _Fuck!_ Not only was he invisible and inaudible, he really was a ghost! And as such, he couldn't touch or move anything.

"Sir," Jarvis intervened. "May I remind you that this is _your_ dream?"

"And what _exactly_ are you trying to tell me, J?" Tony replied frustrated.

"Well, you aren't constrained by the conventional laws of physics. If you want to leave the location, then you just have to think of where you want to go. It's not necessary to walk or to open doors."

_Um_, Tony hadn't thought of that indeed. _Well, teleporting then, yes?_ He closed his eyes and imagined his desired destination. The open-plan office, with its numerous writing desks and separating walls, the many people coming and going, the sounds of computer keyboards, clattering coffee mugs, high-heeled shoes, hubbub of voices… which was suddenly heard loud and clear. Tony opened his eyes, and he found himself as desired on the lower floor in the open-plan office, which was eerily similar to a hive of bees.

"Wow, watch out!" he shouted out when he nearly was knocked down by a woman who rushed past him at a hurried pace. Or at least he thought she would knock him down, until he remembered that nobody could see him and he was virtually bodiless. He still hadn't gotten used to this dream-like state. The whole dream by itself was weird enough, how could he suddenly get used to something like this at all?

_All right, Pepper, where are you?_ He thought and raised his head to see better. He walked through some rows of writing desks, but there was no sign of her.

"Virginia, Miss Taylor wants to see you!" he suddenly heard somebody shouting behind him.

"I'll be right there!"

Immediately, he turned to the direction from where the voice came. HER voice. One moment later he saw her, Pepper! She was her, and yet she wasn't. At least not how he knew and loved her. Since he had known her, she always had worn her hair long. But here she wore her hair as a shoulder-length bob hairdo. It didn't look bad, but with this hairstyle she appeared older than she was. The simple white blouse emphasized her slight figure, but her beautiful legs were hidden under a calf-length skirt. Instead of her beloved high-heels, she wore plain pumps with only few inches high heels. Why on Earth did she hide her beauty? Slowly, Tony walked toward her direction, always being anxious to swerve the rushing-about ladies. Ghost or not, he didn't want somebody to accidentally pass through him.

Pepper was talking to Wanda Taylor, the executive secretary at Stark Industries. She had already worked under Tony's father Howard Stark and matched the cliché of an _old maid_ in its entirety, and Pepper was well on the way to follow her – at least in looks. When he nearly reached her, Miss Taylor thrusted a pile of documents in Pepper's hands and walked away. Pepper then stepped back to her desk with her head hung, followed by Tony. Pepper barely seated herself back in the swivel chair, when Obadiah's blonde secretary approached sat on Pepper's desk near the pile of documents, and crossed her long legs.

"Hasn't Mr. Stane anything for you to do, Victoria? Making coffee, for example?" Pepper asked with a strained smile.

"Hey, only because _you _don't like him, it doesn't mean that no one else gets along well with him," Victoria replied and raised her hands defensively. "Anyway, you look as if you looted your grandma's wardrobe, again."

Pepper wanted to make a pointed remark, but her colleague continued undeterred.

"But seriously, Virginia; you have such a great figure, and yet in the last two years you have dressed yourself more and more inconspicuous. And a few weeks ago, you just went ahead and got your gorgeous, long hair cut. I don't understand you…"

Pepper sighed. "Well, Obadiah sets great value upon a pleasing appearance, as you know. The shorter the skirt, the higher the chance for a promotion. But I don't want this kind of career. I'll rather waste away down here," she answered.

"But when you worked for Mr. Stark, you got all dressed up, too." Victoria looked at her questioningly.

"Yeah, but that was different. Tony never stared down at my neckline or my butt. My skills as an assistant were more important to him, not my skirt's length. Or at least, he didn't let me feel that way." She looked down on the floor wistfully. Tony was now standing so close to Pepper he could have touched her if he just reached out his hand.

"He has been missing… how long now? Five years? And you're still attached to him? I thought he had bossed everybody around and drive them mad with his womanizing. At least that's what the rumor was, so…"

"Yes, sometimes he could be a prick and a son of a bitch. And I had to dispose the remains of his bimbos often enough, but this wasn't what made him… special."

Now it was getting interesting for Tony. Pepper's eyes began to shine when she continued.

"When he worked on a project, he did it with such a passion you can't hardly imagine. And he really was a genius. And I'm not just talking about how he built his house, with all those technological gimmicks. But sometimes he also had his human moments; especially on the anniversary of his parents' death. Every time it happened he was more upset than he would ever admit."

"Wow, that almost sounds as if you had a little crush on him," the blonde smirked, but Pepper shook her head.

"No, he was my boss, nothing more. But he always treated me well, with respect. Well, in his own way at least. Which is more than you can say for Stane."

"Victoria, Mr. Stane asks for you," Miss Taylor's voice resounded through the room.

"Speaking of the devil… See you later!" Victoria slipped from the desk and departed quickly.

Tony kneeled down near Pepper so he could see her face as she hung her head. He watched her as she opened a drawer and took out something from it: it was an old photograph of Pepper and himself. He could still remember the moment of this shot very well. The picture had been taken during a corporate Christmas party, shortly after he had chosen Pepper as his assistant. Tony had drunk too much on that night, as so often back then, and he had unrestrainedly flirted with her. But Pepper had been cold as ice and had rejected him, which had impressed him a lot. The next day, she had professionally done her work, as if nothing had happened. That was when he knew his decision had been the right one.

Now here he was, watching her staring at this old, yellowed picture of them and softly stroking it with her fingertips. Suddenly, her eyes began to glisten and a small tear escape the corner of her eye. A moment later, she straightened out herself, put the photograph back in its place and finally started her work on the stack of documents.

Tony was confused. He turned aside and leaned with his back against the floor unit of the desk. If this was just a dream, then why did it hurt so much to see Pepper like this? And why did she, of all things, keep this picture of them in his imagination? He couldn't remember having even seen this picture with Pepper. But this was a dream after all, and these were rarely logical. Alright, career-wise it was a step backwards for her if Tony had disappeared out of her life; at least his subconsciousness was of this opinion. But, personally, he was yet to see. There _had_ to be someone in her life, right? He just had to go to her home to assure himself. Could he even go there if he didn't know, how and where she lived? He just had to try so he closed his eyes and muttered in his mind: _Pepper's home._


	10. Chapter 8 - Part 3

So, you wanna know what Tony's finding next? Let's go and see...

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**Chapter 8 - Part 3**

It seemed to have worked, as suddenly all sounds around him fell silent. Tony lost his balance and tilted backwards when the desk behind him vanished as well. He climbed to his feet and looked around. This was Pepper's previous apartment, before she had moved in with him. He hadn't been here very often, as Pepper's second home had always been either the company or his mansion. But he had helped her transport her belongings; therefore he recognized the place immediately.

Interestingly enough, it was already dark outside, even though it had been broad daylight just a second ago. That meant, Pepper ought to be here soon, if she didn't work overtime. So he should look around before she arrived, otherwise he would be distracted again. Alright, somewhere there had to be some pictures of her and a guy, a second tooth brush in the bathroom, maybe some male clothing in the wardrobe. But after quickly looking around, he didn't find anything. Suddenly, he heard a slumping sound behind himself and something frizzy was rubbing against his leg. He looked down and saw… a cat! The cat looked at him and … meowed.

_Wait! Why is this furry monster staring at me?_ Tony thought confused. He bent down and approached the little guy with both hands. And indeed, he could lift him. _This gets more and more weird…_ He held the small bundle of fluff with extended arms in front of himself, and the longhaired Maine Coon curiously stared back with green-brown eyes. The pet wore a collar with a small heart shaped pendant, a name engraved on it: Jarvis!

Tony laughed and shook his head, while he placed Jarvis 2 on his arm and began fondling the cat's smooth, dark-brown fur. It responded with a loud purr.

"Jarvis? How is it possible that your namesake can see me, and I can even touch him?"

"Well, Sir," the invisible voice of his artificial assistant began to speak. "There is the theory that children and animals have a more open perception of supernatural phenomena than adult humans. It is likely that you read this at some point in your life; therefore, your subconscious has considered this as fact."

"Of course, what else. My subconscious sucks! It's showing me things but in a way I'd want them to be, and not how they really could be."

Before Jarvis could voice a response, the sound of the apartment door opening was heard. Jarvis, the cat, jumped off Tony's arm, landed on its white paws that looked like short ankle socks, and ran meowing to the front door.

"Hey J," Tony heard Pepper saying. He went slowly from the bedroom to the corridor and stood still in the doorframe. He still felt like a burglar, as he stood there and eyed Pepper secretly. Then he watched her hang her jacket on the coat rack, slip off her pumps and walk barefooted into the living room with a plastic bag in her hand. Apparently, she had brought food from her favorite Chinese restaurant with her. Tony followed her into the living room. There, she undressed her skirt and put on a pair sweatpants instead, which had been lying on an armchair. She then seated herself on the sofa and unwrapped her dinner. Jarvis had been following her, too, and jumped on the sofa near Pepper, where he started clamoring.

"Excuse me, Jarvis," Pepper took note of her tomcat's loud mew with a smile. "Of course, you're hungry, too." So she got up again and went into the kitchen, where she served her tomcat a can of cat food. She patted his head one more time and returned to her own meal on the sofa.

_Great, Stark. You really seem to think that without you Pepper would end up as a lonely single with a cat! _Tony began slowly getting angry with himself, and most likely he would end this farce immediately. But how did you wake up from a dream on purpose? Especially, when it was so real that it scared you to death? While these thoughts crossed his mind, Pepper's telephone was ringing. But Pepper didn't let herself to be disturbed and let the answering machine do the job.

_"Hi, this is Virginia, after the beep you can leave a message."_

"Hey, Ginny, this is Kathy. I know you're at home, so will you kindly answer the phone?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, but then reached with a free hand for the cordless phone.

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?"

Tony walked around the coffee table and took a seat at the other end of the sofa, about three feet away from Pepper, to be able to understand their conversation better. And while he was already there…

"Yes, I'm happy to hear you, too, Virginia. Is that the way to greet your best friend?"

"I'm sorry, it was an exhausting day; I only just came home."

"All right, I'll forgive you." Tony heard a cheerful laugh at the other end of the phone line. "Let me guess… Battle-axe Taylor covered you with piles of work, right?"

"You've got it, Kat. Sometimes I believe I'm managing the work of half of the company…"

"I don't understand anyway why you still go through all this trouble and keep up working for Stark Industries. I mean, since your boss is missing and the old man assumed the leadership, your career is in a tailspin, isn't it?"

"I simply like working there…," Pepper said, hemming and hawing.

"If you say so… by the way, I met Ben recently," Kathy told casually.

"Really? How is he doing?"

"Oh, given the fact that you broke off your engagement a few weeks ago, surprisingly well." Tony started to listen attentively. "He sends his kind regards, incidentally. And he said, if you'd come to your senses again, he may be content to take you back."

"He didn't really say that, did he?"

"No, he didn't… but he could have. For some strange reason, he still seems to hope you could change your mind. Until now, I don't understand how you could leave him overnight."

"I explained that to you already…."

"Then explain it again, maybe I'll grasp it this time."

Pepper sighed, and Tony listened with fascination. So she had been engaged, but what had happened?

"Ben was… nice… and kind… a great guy, no doubt. But… it didn't feel _right_. I simply couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life with him. Something was just missing…"

"For example?"

"The feeling of having butterflies in my stomach when he touched me. Or weak knees when he looked at me." Pepper's eyes started to shine while telling this.

"To hear you talk like that, I would suppose your heart already belongs to someb…" Kathy stopped in the middle of her sentence. "Oh no… don't tell me you're still attached… to your missing boss? Ginny, please tell me I'm wrong!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kat."

"Oh please, don't take me for a fool! You had a crush on Tony before. Then he disappears, and you cry your eyes out. And instead of looking for a new job, where your skills are appreciated, you waste yourself away in his company! And now this subject regarding Ben. Wake up, Virginia! Tony is dead! You can't mourn after him for the rest of your life!"

"As long as they didn't find his body, he is not dead!" Pepper spat into the phone.

"Oh really? Okay, assuming he is still alive, and he reappears, all of a sudden. Then what, huh? Do you think you'd be his assistant as if nothing had happened? Or better still; he finally realizes that he has always loved you too, marries you and you'll live happily ever after! Is that what you really believe?"

"That's mean, Kat…," Pepper said quietly. Her eyes were filled with tears of anger.

Tony would have loved nothing better than to put his arms around her to comfort her, but this was impossible. Was this Kathy right? _Bullshit, that's just your subconscious…_

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I'm really worried about you…. don't waste your life waiting for a guy you'll never have. That's not worth it."

"Well, maybe I'll call Ben, eventually…," Pepper answered, obviously depressed.

"Yeah, do it. He'll surely be happy."

"Listen, I still have some work to do, clean up and stuff. Let's talk again in a couple of days, okay?"

Tony had to smirk. Pepper could indeed lie without turning red!

"Sure. So long!"

"Bye." Pepper hung up and let the phone fall on the table in front of her. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

Tony got up from the sofa and walked up and across the room.

"Jarvis?"

"I'm here, Sir."

"Okay, buddy. That's it. How do I get out of here?"

"Have all of your questions been answered?"

"You're not seriously asking me that, are you? Of course not. My awesome subconscious only showed me what I _wanted_ to see! This must have been the most unnecessary dream of all time."

"I must correct you on that, Sir. In fact, your subconscious has only processed data you already knew, but either forgot or simply ignored. So it seems probable that Miss Potts harbored romantic feelings for you for a longer time than you had been aware of."

"That would mean… if Pepper has always been in love with me…then I would break her heart instead of improving her situation. Because without me… she'd be miserable nonetheless. How could I've be so blind; I'm an idiot!"

Tony went back to the sofa. Halfhearted, Pepper was picking at her now cold food, until she finally pushed it away. Tony knelt down in front of her and laid his hand on hers, knowing well that he couldn't touch her.

"Maybe I can't promise that we'll be living happily ever after. But I'll do anything to make you as happy as possible. I promise you…"

Suddenly, Tony felt he could hardly keep his eyes open from fatigue. And he heard a voice… _Tony_… _Tony, wake up_… He opened his eyes wide abruptly and raised his head. He was sitting in his workshop at Stark Tower again. And his neck was aching as he had fallen asleep twisted on the table. Perplexed, he glanced around.

"Tony, is everything OK?" Pepper stood near him, her hand on his shoulder.

He jumped off the chair and yanked the surprised Pepper into his arms. He squeezed her so tightly, she could hardly breathe. But she let it happen and hugged him back.

"Did you have a nightmare again?" She then asked carefully.

"Something like that," he murmured, pressing his face to her warm neck. "I'm just happy you're here."

And in this moment a thought was developing in Tony's mind. Now he knew what had to be done.


	11. Chapter 9

So, you want to know what Tony has decided to do? Well, you'll get a little hint in this chapter. For the rest, you have to keep reading... :-)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

When Pepper awoke the next morning, she immediately felt something was different from the previous days. Yet, she couldn't tell what it was. Before she could ponder on it further, the relaxing sound of the sea lulled her back to a light sleep.

_Wait! Sound of the sea?_

Pepper was awake in a second, and she sat up on the empty bed. There was no doubt she was in the bedroom at Stark Tower, but all around her she heard the rushing sound of sea waves.

"Jarvis?"

"Good morning, Miss Potts."

"Um, since when does it sound here like at the Pacific?"

"Mr. Stark instructed me to wake you with this background noise. He said you'd love the sound of the sea surf so much."

"Really, did he…? Where is he anyway?"

"In the workshop, Miss Potts."

"Where else, huh? Thanks, Jarvis."

Pepper got up from the bed and threw on a dressing gown before she went over to her office. She wanted to boot up her computer while making a cup of coffee. When she entered her office she stopped abruptly, open-mouthed with amazement. On her desk there were a mug of steaming coffee, some chocolate donuts and… a bouquet of fresh flowers. Speechless, she approached this arrangement. A small note with a handwritten message leaned against the flower vase. She recognized Tony's handwriting on the card: _Good morning, Honey. I prepared breakfast for you. If you need me, I'm near. Have a nice workday. I love you, Tony._

Alright, she had to admit that Tony getting up before her had scarcity value but, coffee _and _donuts? And where the hell had he got hold of flowers at 7 in the morning?

Pepper sensed something bad had happened.… When Tony buckled down like this, it was only because he had already done something bad. Something _very_ bad. She left the office and literally ran to Tony's workshop. The door was closed for the first time since they had arrived in New York. She unlocked it, and deafening music blasted at her. AC/DC in the early morning hadn't been heard for a long time either. Tony stood with his back to her as he typed something on the computer.

"Mute the music," she commanded Jarvis and the music immediately went silent.

Music gone, Tony finally noticed her and turned around to face her.

"Hey, good morning! You slept well?" He said cheerfully as he walked towards her, gave her a squeeze and kissed her tenderly. Pepper released herself from his embrace and planted herself in front of him, her hands on her hips.

"Yes, thank you. Okay, what have you done?" she asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Tony was surprised at her frowning. He wasn't aware of any wrongdoing.

"You have me wake up with the sound of sea. Y-y-you place breakfast on my desk. And flowers… and that note. Usually you do something like this only when you try to hide already you fucked up something. Or you _intend_ to fuck up something. So, what is it?"

"Nothing of the sort, I just wanted to make you happy," he answered softly.

He hadn't expected such a reaction but who would be surprised? Pepper was right. He made a step towards her, put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her lovingly. Pepper got trembling knees at his glance. "I didn't care for those details before and neglected you… I can't promise I can manage doing them every day, but I'll try. Just because you deserve it."

Pepper was utterly speechless at how serious he seemed to be about what he had just said. She had developed a kind of sixth sense by now, easily picking up when Tony lied to her. However, there was no bad feeling spreading in her stomach this time.

"Well… then I'll go to work. My coffee's getting cold," Pepper mumbled sheepishly. She left the workshop but not without stopping at the door one more time and looking at Tony again.

He had turned back towards the computer and issued a new voice command to Jarvis: "Rock'n'roll, J! Immediately, the music started with ear-shattering loudness. Pepper smiled while observing him for a few more seconds. Then she went to work, too.

After being alone again in the workshop, Tony focused once more on the e-mail he had started writing earlier. The last days' failures had made him admit that he couldn't make any progress all by himself and he needed help. The variety of possibilities was extremely limited indeed, as he needed somebody who possessed medical skills as well as knowledge in molecular genetics. He could have asked S.H.I.E.L.D. for help, but he still didn't trust Nick Fury an inch. If said man would get to know that Pepper was infected by Extremis (and surely it hasn't escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention that Extremis existed anyway) who knew what ideas he would come up with.

There was only one person left that had the necessary skills and that Tony could trust enough: Bruce Banner. After the Manhattan disaster, Bruce had wanted to back down from superhero business and go on a journey. Where exactly, Tony didn't know. Unfortunately, Jarvis hadn't been able to find a trace of him, which was very unusual as he could normally crack pretty much any database and any server to find the requested information. Nevertheless, Tony had to try to contact Bruce in any way he could, so he wrote an e-mail to the address Bruce had left him behind, hoping he would read the message soon and answer.

_"Hey Bruce, it's Tony. I need your help very urgently; it's about Pepper. Please answer as soon as you read this. You know how to contact me."_

The only thing he could do now was waiting. Since his work on the virus didn't move forward, he used the time to implement improvements on the Mark VII. Jarvis had already developed an alloy that would protect the suit against high temperature - at least for a short time - and Tony had used a part of the technology from the Mark 42 that would allow him to put on and take off quicker. When he nearly didn't expect it, Jarvis stated an incoming, encrypted video message. It was Bruce.

"Hello Tony. I was very surprised to hear from you. YOU need MY help?"

"Well, what can I do? It's about Pepper, so my ego has to wait in line. How come you call via an encrypted connection? Is S.H.I.E.L.D. keeping you under wraps?" Tony smirked.

"You're not far off the mark. They persuaded me to help with a top secret project. I'm here in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s super secret facilities, I couldn't even tell you in which U.S. state I am. But you said it was urgent… so here I am. What's the matter with Pepper?"

"Have you ever heard about the Extremis-virus?"

"I think I read an article about it in a medical professional magazine once. But back then, it was all still up in the air. What's the matter with that?"

"A guy named Aldrich Kilian, with help from its original developer Maya Hansen, used the virus that was primary meant for accelerated healing of injuries, to assemble his personal troop of killer mutants. Maybe you've heard of the event in Miami on Christmas eve?"

"To be honest, I haven't caught a lot of news over the past days from outside. But I heard Fury talking about an incident in Florida. He was anything but enthusiastic, believe me that. But what has this to do with Pepper?"

Tony gave Bruce a synopsis of the incidents happening over the last days.

"… and I simply haven't been able to develop the cure for Pepper," he ended his remarks.

Bruce noticed how strained Tony was when he described everything.

"I'm very sorry. How is she dealing with the situation?" Bruce asked, obviously worried.

"She's trying to be strong. But I don't know how long she can stand it."

"Okay, then send me everything you got so far, and I'll look it over. Sadly, I won't be able to leave here fast enough, so I'll work from over here."

"Alright. I'll store all the data in one of the Stark servers and send you a link for a secured connection via e-mail."

"Fine. I'll call back when I have the data."

With this said, Bruce finished the video Transmission.


	12. Chapter 10

A big THANKYOU to the unknown guest reviewer, you made my day! So, you guys like sweet and protective Tony? You'll get him... and Tony might have to be more protective as he supposed to be... oops, did I say that loud?

* * *

**Chapter 10**

When Pepper went to bed that night, Tony was still heavily busy in his workshop. He was in a videoconference with Bruce Banner, and the two geniuses were competing in talking shop. Pepper had no idea what they were talking about when she had briefly checked if everything was in order. However, she had understood enough to know it was about her and the Extremis virus.

The next morning - it was Sunday - Pepper woke up in an empty bed again; this time it seemed as if Tony hadn't been here at all during the night. She got up from bed and headed to the workshop. Indeed, she found him here still preoccupied with his research. The only difference from last night when she had checked up on him was that he was working with Jarvis' help at the moment and without Dr. Banner.

"Hey, didn't you sleep at all?" Pepper asked him, worried.

"I did, on the couch... one hour or so." Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"You need a break."

"No, I've gone longer without sleep. I'll be OK, Pep, don't worry. I feel we're on the right track so I can't stop now, unlike Banner, the sissy, who needs his beauty sleep first." Tony grinned impish. "So, any plans for today? Even a company boss needs a break sometimes."

"You mean other than avoiding all people I could kill accidentally? No, not really. I'll tie myself to the sofa with a cup of coffee now, and force myself to a constant stream of pointless soaps."

Tony got up from his chair and hugged Pepper.

"Soon we'll have the cure, Honey, I promise. And then we'll go out in great style… dining, dancing, to movies… anything you like." He kissed her temple tenderly.

"Absolutely anything?" Pepper asked cheeky.

"Hell, yeah! For you I'd even visit an art exhibition voluntarily. Or a museum… or any other kind of event I wouldn't be seen dead in, normally."

"Uh-oh, someone has a really bad conscience here," Pepper giggled. "But I can reassure you. Taking you to such an event with me…I'd rather spare _myself_ from doing that….Either way, I can think of something you could do to make it up for me for now. We still have to break the new fireplace and test the sheep skins you bought..." she whispered into his ear.

Tony swallowed; suddenly his temperature rose. He let go of Pepper's embrace, turned her into the door's direction and - with a pat on her butt - pushed her out of the workshop.

"Go, watch your soap operas… I…um…am busy. Gotta finish up quickly…"

Laughing, Pepper went to the living room.

An hour later, Pepper switched off the TV, annoyed. For nearly one week now, she had holed up at Stark Tower and except for Tony and the delivery men she hadn't seen any person. Maybe Tony was used to locking himself up for days in his workshop, but she felt really cooped in. She needed people around her, fresh air, excitement…

Maybe she could risk going out for a walk or going shopping? At 11 AM the doors at Bloomingdale's would be opened, she thought longingly, and she needed a new wardrobe urgently. At least no further incident had occurred within the last days, which also had made her feel more relaxed.

The more she thought about it, the less odd this idea appeared; yes, she just _had_ to get out! This was a done deal. Quickly, she jumped into the shower and within an hour she was ready to go. When Pepper entered the workshop again, Tony was energetically talking with Bruce Banner over the videophone.

"Tony?" She interrupted him.

"Yes, Pep?" He replied without turning around as he was working on a holographic projection of a DNA sequence.

"I'm going to Bloomingdale's for a couple of hours. I just have to get out of here…"

"Okay, Honey, have fun", he answered absentmindedly.

Oops? No contradiction, no doubts, no discussion? Well, actually that had always been _her_ task but she had mentally hoped somehow that he'd dissuade her from this crackpot idea. But that didn't happen; the idea was becoming a reality now.

Hurriedly, Pepper reached the first floor using the elevator. A bit uncertain, she stopped in front of the automatic sliding glass door and glanced outside. It was snowing lightly, and even though it was Sunday, quite a few passersby slipped by her. She pulled her woolly hat a little bit closer over her ears and the scarf a little bit tighter around her neck before stepping outside. When the first snowflakes touched her face, Pepper had to smile instinctively. She had almost not been allowed to experience such moments ever again. Pepper hailed a taxi and gave the driver the desired address.

In just under 20 minutes, she had reached her destination: the department store at Bloomingdale's. With a pounding heart, she left the vehicle and entered the building – bedecked with Christmas decoration – and disappeared in the milling crowd.

* * *

Four hours later…

"Calculation complete. The Extremis-virus has been neutralized at 100%. Other cell damage: none," Jarvis announced the result.

"We've made it!" Tony beamed with joy.

"It was a tough job, though," Bruce replied relieved. "Now I can attend to my other research again."

"Thanks, buddy. I owe you something. Oh, and… don't say a word to Fury, OK?"

"I won't, don't worry. But I wouldn't count on it that he doesn't know about everything anyway. You know, he sticks his nose into everything."

"Unfortunately, yes… OK, I'll bring Pepper the good news."

Bruce waved goodbye, and the video transmission ended.

* * *

Pepper felt as good as she hadn't for days. She had spent the last hours successfully topping up her wardrobe again a little bit. Makeup and perfume had also been tallied on her to-do-list, and she had purchased some tees and shirts for Tony as well. Fortunately, Bloomingdale's offered a delivery service for purchases so she could take her last turn with hands free. At the jewelry department she stopped at a jeweler's shop window and admired the showcase. She could really use a new watch as the old one hadn't survived Killian's experiment.

Pepper entered the small shop and glanced at the ladies' watches in the glass cabinets.

* * *

Tony filled the serum's clear liquid into a small ampoule, attached the tiny - protected by a plastic cap - injection needle on it and headed with the remedy at a hurried pace into the living room where he thought he would find her.

Didn't she want to make herself comfortable in front of the TV? No trace of her in the living room was found. He then tried the office and the bedroom as well but his luck remained unchanged.

"Jarvis? Where's Pepper?" he asked finally.

"Miss Potts has left Stark Tower at 10:34 AM, Sir."

"Where to?"

"She went to Bloomingdale's."

"Why didn't she say anything?"

"In fact, she did, Sir. You dismissed Miss Potts by saying '_Okay, Honey, have fun_.'"

"Oh… yes… there was something… must have been a little bit distracted. Call her on the cell phone, J!"

* * *

Just when Pepper was about to leave the jewelry shop, she was pushed back into the salesroom by three men. They wore black ski masks and held guns in their hands. Pepper saw the other customers yell with fear. Two of the men went with determination behind the sales counter and aimed at the saleswomen standing there. The third one blocked the exit and kept the customers covered with his weapon. He was the first to address to the present people.

"If you're all quiet and do what we're saying, nothing will happen to you."

Pepper wasn't very sure of that…

* * *

Uh-oh, trouble is coming...


	13. Chapter 11

Oh yes, you liked my little cliffhanger, didn't you? So, anybody excited to know what's coming next? Here we go!

* * *

**Chapter 11**

Pepper felt her cell phone vibrating in the inside pocket of her jacket. _Tony_, she thought, but she couldn't possibly answer the call now. One of the robbers had gone into the back room with one of the saleswomen; the other one had the second employee storing away the jewelry from the showcases into a sports bag. The third man had locked the entrance door and waved his gun in front of the customers' noses.

To the customers passing the shop, it just looked as if this area had already been closed. Outside, nobody noticed what was going on or became suspicious.

While the saleswomen were still packing jewelry and valuable watches, the third man seemed to get bored to only watch the clients.

"By looking at you ladies and gentlemen I can tell you can make a little donation, too. Jewelry and wallets in here, please!" He took out another bag and held it out to the first couple he was approaching. Shaking with fear, the young woman removed her necklace and put it in, while her husband brought out his wallet and dropped it also into the bag. Pepper stood still by the opposite wall, paralyzed; there were four other customers between her and the robber. Her cell phone's vibrating had stopped in the meantime.

* * *

After repeated dialing tone, Tony heard the message from Pepper's voicemail, and he hung up. _How strange, it isn't anything like her to not answer the phone_, Tony wondered. _Well, maybe she's in a changing room at the moment and hasn't a free hand right now. _He admitted it reluctantly, but he was a bit disappointed that Pepper wasn't there right then when he had finished her cure.

_Real bad timing, but that can't be helped_, he thought. _Then maybe I'll take a nap until she's back_, he pondered what to do now to pass the time until her return.

* * *

Right beside Pepper, an elder lady stood with a young girl, probably her granddaughter. When the robber requested throwing her gold chain, with a ring hanging on it, into the bag, she burst into tears.

"Please, this is the wedding ring of my deceased husband," she begged.

"Well, then he won't need it anymore," he replied sarcastically. "Go, get it in!"

"Please grandma, give the jewelry to him!" the girl caved.

"No, I can't…"

The man grabbed her rudely by the arm, and with the other hand he was holding the gun in he tried to rip the chain off her neck. But in that moment, he received a hard blow against his chest, and he stumbled back.

"Leave her alone!" Pepper yelled furious at him. The masked man looked puzzled at his scorched jacket first, then at Pepper. Next, he raised his gun and fired! One bullet hit Pepper into the shoulder, a second into the chest. The people around her screamed out, terrified. Pepper was thrown against the wall by the bullets' impact, and she felt a burning pain where she had been hit. Immediately afterwards, she felt the heat welling again, this time stronger than the times before. And she was angry, _very_ angry!

* * *

"Okay, J. Wake me up when Pepper's back again."

"Sir, I'm afraid your attention is required."

"What's the matter?"

"I allowed myself to hook up with Bloomingdale's security cameras. I fear that Miss Potts is in an awkward situation."

"Cameras? Since when are you playing Big Brother without my instruction, Jarvis?"

"Well, you gave me order to keep an eye on Miss Potts a few days ago. I assumed the order would refer to possible stays outside Stark Tower as well, Sir."

"Okay, what do you have for me?" Tony asked with a worried expression.

Jarvis projected a holographic video wall in front of Tony, and one of the security camera's live stream appeared on it. And Tony didn't like at all what he had to watch.

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that," Pepper hissed towards the shooter. Said man raised his weapon one more time and fired again and again until the magazine was empty, but Pepper just laughed and drew closer to him with every single shot, until she stood directly in front of him. Her skin flared like a torch, tiny flames seemed to bustle on it. Pepper took the gun from his hand, and the heat of her touch made it melt within seconds into a clump of metal and plastic. The second robber behind the counter was paralyzed with fear for a second. But when he realized what Pepper had done to his companion's gun, he recovered himself and started to shoot her on his part.

As a result, Pepper was distracted from her original aim, and she jumped with a single leap, she jumped over the counter towards the surprised man. He went down with a well-aimed punch. The other customers around her huddled against the walls of the salesroom and glanced scared at her. Attracted by the noise, the third robber came back to the front of the shop. Before he saw what was happening to him, Pepper sent him to the land of dreams as well. She looked back to the entrance's direction. The guy, who had shot at her first, had taken the opportunity and had escaped out of the shop.

Pepper undressed from her jacket that hung in scorched rags from her body. The rest of her clothes underneath didn't look much better either, but she didn't pay attention to that. She glanced at the people around her and said: "Somebody better call the police. And the fire department."

She then went hunting….

* * *

"Shit!" Tony shouted. "Suit, now!" This just couldn't be true. The past days had passed off so pretty calm, and now, of all times, Pepper got into a fucking robbery! He stuffed the ampoule with the serum into his pants pocket and slipped into the armor that Jarvis had already initialized. He ran as fast as possible to the outer platform of the building. When he stood up there, ready for take-off, suddenly a feeling of dizziness overwhelmed him and cold sweat broke out. The memory of the events a few months ago was more than ever present up here.

"No, not now! An anxiety attack is the last thing you need at the moment. Get hold of yourself! Pepper needs you. Go!"

He took a run-up and ignited the repulsor beams. Few minutes later he reached the department store. In front of the entrance and around the building several police cars, fire trucks and ambulances had already stationed themselves after the emergency call had come in. Tony landed in front of them and approached the entry. From the store department he heard shots and screams. A person in uniform stopped him.

"Stop, you can't go in!"

"Yes, I can and I will. Unlike you, I know what's going on inside. And tell your men to stop shooting! That makes everything worse. I'll handle it!"

With these words, Tony left the police officer behind and ran into the building. Flying was out of the question; it was too narrow and too many people were running uncoordinated and panic-stricken around him. After having entered the department store, he saw first the shattered glass panels and smashed pieces of furniture, then the policemen that were aiming on something with drawn weapons. It was Pepper! She was on a gallery above them, bending over a lifeless body. Her own body seemed to be on fire, and even from this distance Tony could see the blaze in her glance that darkened her sky-blue eyes.

Pepper rose and moved slowly towards a staircase when the first cop lost his head and fired. When she was hit, Pepper screamed like a wounded animal, and the shots' echo resounded within the building. With a precise shot from his repulsor, Tony fired at the policeman's hand to get the gun out of his hand and yelled at him: "Stop it!"

Without caring about the cop's protest, Tony soared the short distance onto the gallery to Pepper and faced her. She didn't seem to recognize him, but rather sensed him as threat as she was running towards him now, looking angry at him. Tony raised his hands soothingly and opened his mask that she could see him.

"Sweetheart, it's me. Whatever happened here, it's over! You can stop it… please!"

She seemed to recognize him now, stopping her steps and slowing down until she approached him hesitantly. The rage in her eyes fumed away, literally, and made her see clearly again. Her body's glowing came to an end. The policemen standing below and the remaining customers were warily eying the happening.

"What have I done?" she asked quietly and looked around distraught.

"It seems you played cops and robbers. But it's about time to go home now. I've completed the remedy, Pep!" Tony opened his armor far enough to get a hold of the ampoule and showed it Pepper. A short smile flashed over her face.

"You must administer it to me, now!" she begged hoarsely.

For a second, Tony looked undecided, then nodded and removed the needle's cover. Carefully, he held tight Pepper's upper arm and pushed the fine point into her muscle. With a faint hissing, the discharging mechanism depleted the ampoule's content within few seconds. Pepper looked at Tony relieved, then suddenly her eyes clouded and she passed out. Tony caught her before she touched the ground. He closed his visor, raised Pepper's lifeless body into his arms and flew, regardless of further damages, out of the building and back to Stark Tower as fast as possible.

* * *

**To all the German and German speaking readers out there: Don't miss the sequel "Verschollen". Chapter 2 is out, too!**


	14. Chapter 12

Thanks again for all of your reviews, they're making me very happy! :-) And to answer the question: I'm certainly planning to translate the sequel as well...

But for now, I've got a little bit of Pepperony for you.. Or a lot of Tony actually... -) Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 12**

After arriving at the penthouse, Tony put a still unconscious Pepper down on the sofa carefully, so that he was able to get out of the Iron Man armor. He then carried her into the bedroom and set her down on the bed. He undressed Pepper from the remains of her scorched clothes and covered her up gently.

"Jarvis, check Pepper's vital parameters," Tony commanded silently while he sat down near her on the bed.

"Heart rate is slightly accelerated, temperature is normal. I can give more information only after analyzing the blood values."

"Alright, J. I'll take a sample shortly."

Tony stroked a strand of hair from her forehead before heading to the workshop to get an injection needle for the blood sample. He took again some drops of blood from Pepper and submitted them to Jarvis for analyzing.

"Okay, buddy, how are things?" He asked expectantly.

"The serum is spreading its effect. The Extremis virus has already decreased by 32.6%. If the speed stays constant, a 100 percent recovery should be reached within 45 minutes."

"45 minutes then," Tony mumbled who had again taken a seat near Pepper on the bed. "You'll have it made soon, Honey," he smiled down on her and took her hand in his.

Pepper still lay motionless on the bed, so other than waiting Tony couldn't do much as he didn't want to leave her by herself at any cost. He could probably make some long overdue phone calls while he was waiting for Pepper to wake up, however. After dealing with the difficulty that comes with trying to fish your phone out of your pocket with one hand, he dialed the number of the hospital in Los Angeles where Happy was in intensive care. Indeed, he should have been informed if anything changed in his condition, but maybe they'd forgotten about it. After all, nearly one week had passed by since the bomb explosion.

"Yeah, this is Tony Stark," he said when the ward nurse answered the phone. "I just wanted to ask about Mr. Hogan in room 311. Has he come out of coma yet?"

"Just a second, I'll look it up… Mr. Hogan hasn't regained consciousness as of yet, Mr. Stark. But his state is stable, and the burn injuries are healing well."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Tony hung up and then dialed Rhodey's number next. After repeated dialing tone, Tony heard only the voicemail.

"Hey buddy, it's me, Tony. Just wanted to say hello. Pepper and I are in New York, and I finished the cure. I hope it'll work as planned… How about you? Did you catch all the villains? Well, you know how to reach me."

One last call was lying ahead of Tony. He dialed the number of the Head of Legal department. It was Sunday admittedly, but with that annual salary there had to be an extra shift included from time to time.

"Mr. Stark! What a surprise," Bob Miller answered after short ringing.

"Hello Bob, let's skip the pleasantries; there's work for you." He explained shortly to the lawyer what had happened in the store department without going into details about Pepper's health condition. "I want you to find out if there have been any casualties or just property damages. Or if somebody wants to file a charge. Offer generous compensation. The main point is it won't come up for a trial or anything similar."

"I understand, Sir. I'll immediately get in touch with the management of Bloomingdale's and the responsible police department. "

"Thank you, Bob."

Tony put his cell phone on the night stand next to the bed and ran his hand tiredly over his face. He glanced over at his watch. Twenty minutes had passed. Suddenly, he noticed a change on Pepper. Her pupils were twitching under the eye lids as if she was having a bad dream, and beads of sweat grew on her forehead.

"Sir, Miss Potts' state seems to be changing," Jarvis reported at the same moment.

"I see that. What's going on?"

"I'm recording an increase of body temperature to 101.3°F, and her heart rate has accelerated as well. "

"Fuck! Is that good or bad now?"

"It's too early for a prognosis, Sir."

"That was a rhetorical question, J. The calculation had produced that no side effects would be expected, right?"

"That's correct, Sir. However, there's always the possibility of the body's incalculable reaction to a remedy. "

"I know why I don't like any medicines," Tony sighed. "Any suggestions?"

"In general, a temperature increase is considered to be a normal reaction of the body to fight against an infection. In this case, the remedy is probably classified as intruder since the Extremis virus has already merged itself with parts of the body."

"You mean it's struggling against the remedy?"

"You could say so, Sir. I recommend no medication for now, as long as the temperature is ranging within this scale."

"Alright. Let me know if anything changes."

As Tony couldn't do anything except wait, he decided to rest a little bit near Pepper. He took his shoes and pants off and slipped - dressed with t-shirt and shorts – near Pepper under the blanket. Carefully, he slid his arm under her neck, so he could lay her head on his shoulder and pulled her warm body gently into his arm. With his free hand, he shifted his pillow so his head would have a slightly upright position.

"J, be a good boy and switch on the TV. Some news channel."

Immediately, the big flat screen TV on the opposite wall brightened. Fortunately, he wasn't in the news for a change, instead there were some sport results. Tony didn't catch a lot of them anyway, as his eyes closed after a few minutes of visual streaming, and he slept soundly.

Sometime at night…

From somewhere, Tony heard a noise. It was jarring and penetrating, paired with a deep buzz. Slowly, he woke up and tried to locate the sound. It was coming from the night stand near him; the ringing and vibrating came from his cell phone. Still drowsy, he reached for the phone. But instead of an incoming call, the device signaled a wake-up call.

"At last you're awake, Sir," Jarvis piped up. If Tony didn't know better, he'd say Jarvis sounded worried.

"Yes, I am. Is anything the matter with Pepper?" He sat up and glanced over at her, who still lay unconscious near him. Her face was reddened now and her skin damp, as if she'd be sweating profusely.

"Miss Potts' body temperature has risen to a dangerous level in the last 30 minutes. It's 107.1°F now."

"And you're waking me up only now?" Tony burst out with anger.

"Sir, I've been trying for half an hour to wake you up. But you sleep too deeply."

"Sorry about that… what can I do to lower the temperature?" He calmed down again.

"Under the given circumstances, I suggest to bring Miss Potts to a hospital."

"You know, that's not possible. They wouldn't understand what's going on with her and only run silly tests on her. There must be something I can do for her here. Help me, Jarvis!" Tony sounded increasingly desperate and angry at the same time.

"I've searched my databases for domestic remedy on high temperature. You could try with a cold bath. It's important that you let lukewarm water run into the tub first; otherwise Miss Potts can suffer from a cardiac arrest. Only when she's in the water, you let cold water follow until it has reached a temperature of about 77°F."

Tony didn't need to be told twice. He jumped out of the bed and headed to the bathroom where he ran warm water into the tub. When the bathtub was half-full, he went back to the bedroom to get Pepper. He lifted her carefully from the bed and carried her into the bathroom. He let her slide down gently into the tub that was filled about two thirds, so far. He then turned the warm water off and let only cold water run in. He kneeled beside the tub and watched out for Pepper's head not to accidentally slip under water.

"Jarvis, tell me when the right temperature is reached." Fortunately, his sensors were just everywhere.

"Of course, Sir," the prompt reply came.

After seven minutes, Jarvis reported that the required water temperature was achieved.

"What now?"

"Bring Miss Potts back into bed and cover her well, so that the body can heat up itself again. Thereby, a sweating effect should be achieved which makes the body cool down itself."

"Whatever you say, J."

Tony pulled out the bath plug to drain the water and took some bath towels with him to the bedroom, and spread one of them over the sheets. Back in the bathroom, he took another big towel and covered Pepper's cooled down, wet body with it. He then lifted her out of the now empty tub. He brought her back to the bedroom and laid her on the towel he had spread on the bed before. He dried her thoroughly and wrapped her into the second towel. He covered her up with the blanket up to her chin before laying his hand on Pepper's forehead. She felt hot and damp. Again, all he could do was wait.


	15. Chapter 13

Oh, the excitement... you all want to know how Pepper is doing? You will right now... and more Pepperony!

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**Chapter 13**

_My throat is so dry_, was the first thought that appeared in her conscious mind when she awoke. Her body was aching, every muscle and every joint. She felt as if she had been knocked down by a tank. Tony had to feel this way each time when coming back from a mission. _Tony!_ Some first glimpses of memories came back to her in random pieces. The department store… she was being shot… and then Tony had administered the cure to her. After that, she had no memories anymore. She seemed to be lying in bed, well wrapped up in blankets. She could feel a weight on her hand. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes.

The room was only dimly lit. It was dark outside; there came only little light from a dimmed floor lamp. She turned her head carefully to the side and saw Tony sitting in a chair, bending over the bed. He held her hand in his, and his head was resting on it with his forehead. He seemed to be sleeping. Pepper raised her free hand and stroked gently over his hair. Jerkily, he started up and rubbed his eyes. When he saw Pepper looking faintly smiling at him, his relief was obvious. But Pepper didn't miss either how tired he looked. Dark circles marred his eyes, and dark stubble sprouted on his cheeks.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty. You've been sleeping for quite a long time."

"Yeah, you know me. I'm useless without my beauty sleep," she answered hoarsely. "What time is it?"

Tony looked at his watch: "3:23 PM… on Monday."

"Oh… I've been out pretty long. What happened?"

"You passed out due to the serum and got a high temperature."

"Did it work at least?"

"Yes, it did…" Tony beamed all over his face now.

"That's good…. So finally, it's over now. Could you bring me a glass of water, please?"

"Sure, Honey."

Tony bent forward, kissed her dry lips and got up to walk into the kitchen. At that point, Pepper noticed that his walk seemed to be unsteady, and he had to shortly support himself twice against the wall.

"Jarvis?"

"How nice you're doing well again, Miss Potts. What can I do for you?"

"Tony doesn't look well. When did he last sleep and eat something ?"

"Mr. Stark slept for five hours and twenty-six minutes last night, and his last meal dates back to twenty-six hours and twelve minutes from now. He seemed to be too busy for both."

"What did he do the whole time?" Pepper wanted to know worried.

"He has kept watch by your side almost without any interruption, Miss Potts. He was very concerned about you."

"Thanks, Jarvis."

"Always at your service, Miss Potts."

Tony came back with a glass of water in his hand and put it on the night stand. Then, he helped Pepper peel off the blanket and the towels from her form and sitting up. Slowly, she had a few sips of the water.

"You look like you could need some sleep. Even superheroes have to rest from time to time, you know?"

And before Tony could reply anything, Pepper dragged him into to bed and under the blanket. She huddled up to him closely, and he wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. With her fingertips, Pepper caressed his face tenderly. Lovingly, she gave him a side glance.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For everything."

"You know I would do anything for you, don't you?" Tony said with a noticeable lump in his throat.

"Yes."

He kissed her forehead, and both closed their eyes. A few moments later, they had fallen asleep.

When Pepper woke up four hours later, it was pitch-dark outside again. Or still? It seemed to be one of those winter days that wouldn't get light properly. If the floor lamp wouldn't be smoothly illuminating the room, she wouldn't have been able to see her hand in front of her face. She was lying curled up in a ball on her side and felt Tony's chest against her back. According to his regular breathing, he was still sleeping. But Pepper had to stand up.

After the plenty hours of unconsciousness, her bladder made itself known, feeling virtually painful, and she was nearly dying with hunger. Carefully, she pushed Tony's arm aside that lay across her waist, and freed herself slowly from his embrace to not wake him up. She then sat up and swung her legs out of the bed so that her bare feet touched the carpet. She stood up a bit shakily and looked around for her dressing gown, as she had lain in bed completely naked. She spotted it on the armchair standing in a corner opposite to the bed. With the dressing gown over herself, she walked slowly into the bathroom.

When she had finished, she viewed herself in the mirror while she was washing her hands. Her appearance nearly scared her. Her face was white as a sheet, and her hair hung down straggly from sweating and stuck to her forehead. She definitely needed a shower! Twenty minutes and a hot shower later, Pepper felt like a new woman. Dressed with her gown again, she tiptoed noiselessly into the living room. From there, she ordered half the menu at the Chinese delivery service from around the corner. Then, she went to the wide glass façade from where she had a breathtaking view over Manhattan. The sky had brightened up and revealed a view on the crescent moon and numerous stars. There was scarcely anything to see of the big devastations that had occurred a few months ago; not in the least due to the generous donations Stark Industries had made to help with the reconstruction.

_What a weird year_, it flashed across her mind. So much had happened, good as well as bad. And who knew what was still to come? Since Tony was Iron Man and the whole world knew it, her life had changed dramatically as well. But the last days had been the negative high point. First of all, Happy had nearly lost his life, then herself. She started to realize how short life could be. Now it's all OK, and the next moment everything could be over. Until now, her life had mainly consisted of work, and especially in the last two years her workload had increased even more since taking the leadership of the company. But she didn't want to look back on her life some day and find out what she had missed. Therefore, she came to the decision to ease off a bit at work from now on. Regular working hours had been a foreign concept so far, but this would now change. Instead, she wanted to spend more time with Tony and go on vacation with him eventually. Enjoying all the small things that other couples shared, too. Yes, she would do that. A smile played about her lips at this thought.

When she heard silent steps behind her, she didn't have to turn around to know it was Tony. He approached her and clasped her hips with both hands. He then gently stroked with one hand her still wet hair out of her neck and covered it with tender kisses. Pepper closed her eyes and enjoyed his touches. How long she had to do without that as she hadn't been able to relax over the past days, out of fear she could hurt Tony. But now she could completely indulge in her feelings. She felt Tony loosening her dressing gown's belt, until it hung loosely at her sides. His hands touched her skin and wandered under the thin fabric while his mouth was still caressing her neck.

"Ahem… Miss Potts, the delivery man has arrived," Jarvis interrupted the situation.

"Thanks. Let him come up," Pepper sighed. This guy had a really bad timing. "Our dinner has arrived, Mr. Stark," she tried to stop Tony.

"I'm already having my dinner, Miss Potts," he murmured and didn't let the arriving of the food hinder him.

"We can continue at this point with pleasure… _after_ I eat something. I'm starving," she giggled and tried to free herself from Tony's embrace.

"I could go on forever like this," he deadpanned. And in this moment, his stomach growled unmistakably. "Traitor," he groaned und finally released Pepper. She tightly tied up her gown again and rushed towards the elevator.

Longingly, he gazed after her. He hated to get interrupted in a situation like this. And the last time seemed to be light years ago. He watched Pepper receiving the delivery and paying for it. She then came back, loaded with multiple bags. She put down the food on the low coffee table and started to spread the plastic boxes and bowls.

"Tell me, are you expecting some guests?" Tony curiously asked, considering the amount of food on the table. "That's enough for an entire football team… or for Bruce when his big, green friend is on a visit," he grinned.

"I'm quite hungry… and I couldn't make my choice," Pepper only shrugged. She brought cutlery, glasses and a bottle of water from the kitchen while Tony took a seat on the sofa. She sat down next to him, and they began to eat in silence.


	16. Chapter 14

And... some more Pepperony for you... :-)

PepperOny Fan: The sequel is complete, I'm publishing it already. So don't worry, the translation is in progress...

* * *

**Chapter 14**

At some point during their meal, Pepper switched on the TV where a news cast was running. The channel was showing a report on the events at Bloomingdale's one day ago and Pepper regretted immediately having switched on the television. A reporter was standing in front of the well-lit department store and recalled the incident while recordings of the security cameras were displayed.

_"We succeeded in locating an involved customer who witnessed the events first-hand. We visited her at home this afternoon."_ Instead of the live coverage, a recorded interview with the same reporter started. Next to him was an elder lady. Pepper looked surprised when she recognized the woman. It was the client she had been helping! Pepper wished the ground would open up and swallowed her, but Tony watched with interest.

_"Mrs. Stone, explain shortly to our viewers how you experienced the situation."_

_"Well, all of the sudden there were these robbers in the store. Two of them emptied the safe and the showcases, but the third one… he also wanted the jewelry of the people in the shop!"_

_"And what happened next, Mrs. Stone?"_

_"Next to me, there was this pretty young woman. And when the villain tried to rip off my necklace that had my husband's wedding ring – I'm widowed, you know - she intervened and gave him a good thrashing! Well, and then… it got eerie."_

_"Your savior turned out to be some kind of mutant, right?"_

_"I don't know if that's the right term. I only know that he shot her, but she moved on as if nothing had happened. I saw her being hit, but the injuries just closed immediately. And after that, she began to burn, like a torch! And she smashed the guys' faces!"_

_"You certainly must have been scared, Mrs. Stone."_

_"In the beginning, yes. But when the young woman meddled in, I wasn't anymore. It was creepy, yes. But without her, maybe somebody would have been hurt. In my opinion, she's a hero, no matter who or what she is." Mrs. Stone smiled blissfully towards the camera._

_"Thank you very much, Ma'am for taking the time to speak with us."_

The live stream with the reporter in front of the department store reappeared.

_"Meanwhile, the mysterious savior has been identified due to the video footage as Miss Virginia Potts, who is no less than the CEO of Stark Industries. At present, it's unclear to what extent these incidents are related to the events in Miami one week ago in which Anthony Stark - Iron Man - was involved. So far, no official announcement has been released to the press by Stark Industries. However, several witnesses reported correspondingly that there haven't been any casualties except for property damage. Apparently, Miss Potts went after the three previously convicted robbers only. Now, I pass to Sarah Moore who is standing in front of the Stark Tower in New York."_

Pepper switched off the TV; she had seen enough.

"I believe you have a fan, baby," Tony chuckled amused.

"And I don't know at the moment what to believe… Nobody will take me seriously as a CEO anymore." Pepper looked down gloomily.

"Live it down for now, and then we take it from there. At the least an interview like this helps to not portray you as psychopath or something similar. Actually, you're a hero now! By the way, I already have Bob Miller clearing up the matter. And since obviously nobody got hurt, chances are quite well that the police won't pursue the whole thing further."

Pepper didn't answer, but kept eating in silence. When they had finished, they cleared up the table together.

"I'm taking a quick shower, and then I'll collect my dessert," Tony grinned and kissed Pepper before disappearing in the bathroom. "Oh, by the way, your purchases from Bloomingdale's were delivered today," he shouted from the bath. "They're in the bedroom!"

Pepper headed for the bedroom and found about half a dozen shopping bags put down in a corner. She had a quick look at her purchases and detected something very useful. She undressed from her dressing gown and slipped into _something more comfortable_. Satisfied, she took a look at herself in the mirror. She then went back to the living room and placed an oversized sheepskin directly in front of the fireplace.

"Jarvis, fire please!" The fireplace flamed up immediately.

"Thanks."

She made herself comfortable on the fleece and waited for Tony. He didn't make her wait for long and appeared, shortly thereafter, dressed in pajama pants only. He gave his hair a rub with a towel while walking toward her, but then abruptly stood still when he noticed Pepper. She was lying stretched out in front of the fireplace, wearing a red, strapless corset along with matching panties and hold-up stockings. He stood there, open-mouthed and stared at her.

"Are you going to keep standing there and staring at me, or will you come here and join me?" she purred seductively.

Tony didn't need to be told twice. The towel landed on the floor and with few steps he reached Pepper and lay near her.

"You look just stunning," he murmured hoarsely.

"Shut up and kiss me," Pepper whispered.

Again, Tony didn't need to be told twice. Kissing passionately, they sank down on the floor.

Some time later…

Pepper laid on Tony's arm, cuddled up to his side, her head on his shoulder and one hand on his chest. She felt his hand on her back, tracing her spine with his fingertips. Somewhere, they had found a cover that was now lying over their naked, sweaty bodies. How long were they lying like this? She didn't know. She only knew that in this moment she was as happy as she hadn't been for a long time. Suddenly, something crossed her mind.

"Jarvis, what time is it?" she asked.

"11:45 PM, Miss Potts."

"It's almost midnight, Tony,"

"Who cares?" He replied indifferently. "I'm interested in other things right now." He opened his eyes and looked at her devilishly.

"It's New Year's Eve. That means it's almost New Year's Day," she answered.

"Wow, the first New Year's Eve that I don't stay out late drinking at some crazy party," he laughed. "But this here's much better…"

Pepper leaned onto her elbow to be able to look better at Tony.

"Well, Mr. Stark, do you have any good resolutions for the new year?"

Tony narrowed his eyes, pretending to think intently.

"Might be possible," he finally said. "And what about you, Miss Potts?"

"Yes, indeed… I decided to ease off at work from now on and work less."

"I like this resolution! But I'm also surprised." He looked at her questioningly.

"In short, my view on certain things has just changed. I suppose I should delegate more tasks to my assistant, so he can relieve me of some of mine. Which means, we could once again go on vacation together. To Venice, for example…" Pepper smiled, and Tony smiled back. He liked the _new_ Pepper.

"So, what about your resolution?" she asked curiously.

Tony shortly looked at the ceiling and his expression became serious. He exhaled loudly, then looked at her again.

"Actually, I planned to tell you later. But I guess this moment is as good as any other, too…"

"Tell me _what_, Tony? You're scaring me!" Her eyes looked concerned and she sat up.

"When I worked on your remedy, I had an idea. I developed a weakened version of Extremis that doesn't heal injuries immediately, but supports their healing. Thus, unwanted side-effects stay away. You know, many years ago I met a Chinese cardiac surgeon, Dr. Wu, an eminent authority in his field. And a few days ago I made contact with him again."

"What exactly are trying to tell me?"

Tony cleared his throat before he continued.

"Dr. Wu is confident that he can remove the metal splinters from my chest and the arc reactor with them. Extremis will make sure that the hole in my chest heals up. I'll be an ordinary human again, Pep!"

"But this surgery is certainly dangerous, isn't it? What, if something's going wrong?" Tony could hear the panic in her voice.

"I know it's risky. But Dr. Wu is the best. And he is positive it will succeed. Of course, he still has to examine myself in person. But I already sent him some medical documents, and he sounded very optimistic. I thought you'd be glad…" He sounded disappointed.

"If you think you had to do this for me, Tony Stark…"

"Not only for you," he interrupted her. "Partially maybe, but I want it, too. I just realized that I don't necessarily need my suits anymore to be Iron Man. To be _me_. Therefore, I don't need the arc reactor anymore either. That's a logical step to me."

"Ma'am, Sir, it will be midnight in 30 seconds," Jarvis interrupted the conversation.

"Come on, fireworks display is on its way."

Tony got up and pulled Pepper up, too. Together, they went to the glass façade. Wrapped up in the blanket, they stood there embracing each other. In the distance, they recognized Times Square where the famous ball counted the last seconds of the old year. When it reached its lowest point, Tony and Pepper could see cheering people all over in the streets and the first rocket illuminated the night sky.

"Happy New Year, Darling."

"Happy New Year, Tony."


	17. Chapter 15

Let's go to Shanghai!

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**Chapter 15**

"Happy New Year, man! Good to see you." Rhodey gushingly hugged Tony. It was January 2nd and their first encounter since they had parted company in Miami.

"Same to you, too, buddy. Come in." Tony led Rhodey into the living area of Stark Tower.

"I'm sorry I didn't call earlier. After Miami, I had my hands full. The Pentagon wasn't very enthusiastic of Kilian's super soldiers as you can imagine. Then, we had to investigate all of AIM's buildings and properties. And the Vice President's arrest…"

"Of which there wasn't anything to hear about in the news?"

"The White House is keeping a low profile about this matter and has ordered a news embargo. But tell me, how's Pepper doing? Where is she anyway?"

"She's as good as new, thanks to the cure. She's on the phone in the office with somebody from the company."

Tony and Rhodey seated themselves on the sofa next to each other.

"When I called you earlier to announce my visit, you mentioned you had something important to discuss with me. Out with it!"

"Yes, that's right… okay, I'll make it short. Pepper and I, we're going to fly to Shanghai in a couple of days, and I'll have a heart surgery there."

"You will what? Are you ill?"

"Well, if you call it _healthy_ to live with metal splinters in the chest…"

"I can't follow you right now…"

"Dr. Wu, a respected heart surgeon, will remove the slivers from my chest and also the reactor. I've modified the Extremis-virus so that it can be used in a harmless manner for the operation."

"Wow… that are _some _news… what is Pepper thinking of that? Has she really agreed that you take this risk?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say she _agreed. _Of course, she is concerned… okay, in panic probably applies rather. But I have to take this step. I just have to, Rhodey!" Tony looked seriously at him. "I know there is a certain risk. Dr. Wu talked about a success rate in the range of 70 to 80%. Without Extremis supposedly under 30%. But I gladly take this risk if it means I can finally lead a normal life again."

"You seem to have thought a lot about it."

"Yeah, I did. And I want you to accompany us. For Pepper. If anything happens, she'll need somebody to be there for her. To help her… with my funeral and stuff."

"Tony Stark, I don't want to hear the word 'funeral' ever again from your mouth, you got that?" Rhodey looked horrified at him.  
"Believe me, I don't like that either, but I have to stay realistic. Something _can_ go wrong and then she'll need some help. And besides Happy, I wouldn't know anybody else I would ask. And Happy is still in hospital…"

"So I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No, buddy, not this time. I'm sorry."

"Does Pepper know what you are asking me to do?"

"I told her I would ask you. But rather that, in case of doubt, you can drag me back into the operating room if I'll get cold feet. I won't tell her you're coming for her; otherwise I have to listen to her reproaches about me being overprotective or something like that."

"I see. When do we start?"

"Uhm… in two days' time. Will you manage to be ready in such short notice?"

"Well, I'll have to…"

"What do you have to?" Pepper asked smiling, coming around the corner from the office.

"To arrange vacancy so short-dated, so I can accompany you and this diehard to China. Hi Pepper!" Rhodey stood up from the sofa and hugged Pepper who attended them. "Great to see you."

"So you're coming with us? I'm glad… then I won't have to die a thousand deaths alone while Tony is lying in the operation room." Pepper darted a pretended angry glance at Tony, but she then seated herself near him and put her hand on his thigh. "I still don't consider it to be a good idea, by the way. But this time I don't have a say." Pepper looked at Tony first, then at Rhodey.

"We'll get through this together. What are friends for?" Rhodey replied.

Two days later, the trio started from JFK international Airport to Shanghai. The Gulfstream 650 was only for a couple of months in the property of Stark Industries and offered the necessary convenience for long-distance flights. Around 6 AM the private jet took off in New York to make an intermediate stop at 9 o'clock local time in San Francisco. The airplane was refueled one more time before crossing the Pacific. At 10 AM on the dot, the plane started to its destination Shanghai. Fourteen hours flight time were lying ahead them. Rhodey passed time reading a book, Pepper spent the time as usual by answering e-mails and giving her assistant last-minute orders, and Tony was listening to music via headphones. At least, it seemed like that.

Pepper, who was sitting opposite to him, noticed how he nervously and constantly drummed his fingers on the armrest. Even though he had made the decision for the surgery by himself and had vehemently defended it against Pepper and Rhodey, he was obvious a nervous wreck nevertheless. He tried not to let his tension show, but Pepper knew it better. It was probably less the surgery itself that bothered him, but rather the fact that he had to his life in someone else's hands and thus he wasn't in control on what happened to him. Therefore, he had mandated that Pepper and Rhodey be allowed to watch the surgery through a glass panel. This way, he wouldn't feel too exposed and alone when he had to go through that. Pepper felt a little unwell at the thought of watching Tony being cut open. Then again, she would have done nearly everything to help him get through the whole thing.

Around 2 PM local time – it was one day later in China – they reached the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. After passing the passport control they headed to the exit where they were awaited by the hospital's pick-up service. A young man in a black suit holding a sign with the inscription 'Mr. Stark' received them in front of a dark van. When Tony revealed himself, their driver politely greeted them in English by saying "Welcome to Shanghai" and loaded the luggage into the vehicle. On their way to the Shanghai Yodak Cardio-Thoracic Hospital, -a hospital specialized on cardiac diseases and in which Dr. Wu was working- they dropped Rhodey in the nearby Regal International East Asia Hotel. Pepper would stay with Tony in the hospital as they had rooms with an extra bed for family members. In this way, she would be by his side without any interruption.

After reaching the hospital, which on the inside looked surprisingly little like a hospital, they checked in at the patient reception and were then escorted by a nurse to their room.

"Dr. Wu will do his medical round at 5 PM and run the last examinations," the young woman informed them in accent-free English before leaving the room.

The luxury of the suite that was at Tony and Pepper's disposal was appealing to the eye. Aside from the medical equipment, such as a screen for monitoring the cardiovascular system and some intravenous poles, this could easily have been a suite in a superior hotel. The room was very spacious and the walls were shining in a pleasant yellow. In addition to the two beds, the room was equipped with a sitting area and a small but fully furnished kitchen. Furthermore, they had their own bathroom. Tony put his travel bag on the floor and sat on the bed. He glanced around the room and exhaled noisily.

"So, here we are. And it's getting serious soon." He rested his elbows on his knees and absentmindedly looked down at the floor. Pepper who had begun to unpack her suitcase stopped her activity and sat down on the bed near Tony. She took his hand in her and squeezed it encouragingly. She gave him a side glance and smiled.

"We're gonna make it together. Rhodey and I won't leave your side until it's over." Tony returned her smile, but it looked a bit strained.

"Hey, where's your optimism? You've always been the one to make the impossible possible." Pepper placed her hand on his cheek and pulled his face near to her. She kissed him and looked into his chocolate-colored eyes. For a second, Tony looked confused before asking: "Shouldn't I be actually the one to console you? To tell you that nothing will happen to me? Something like that?"

"Apparently not this time. And that's alright. It's OK to be scared. That's human… you do still know what it's like to be a normal human, don't you?" Provokingly, she raised an eyebrow and Tony had to laugh.

"I vaguely remember." This time, he kissed Pepper and then both worked on unpacking their suitcases.


	18. Chapter 16

Time for the next chapter and again a little bit of Pepperony at the end of it... Thanks for your reviews so far, it really makes me happy that you like my little story. Actually I just took the last scenes of the movie and connected them... okay, I took the liberty to complement them in a creative way... ;-)

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**Chapter 16**

Half an hour later, Rhodey joined them again and the three of them waited for the heart surgeon to make his round. At 5 PM on the dot and a knock on the door later, a mid-sized man in his fifties entered the room, accompanied by a nurse. He wore a white coat and held a file in his hand. He turned to Tony first and extended his hand to him.

"Mr. Stark, welcome!" He greeted Tony in English with a slight Chinese accent. "I'm pleased to see you again in person. After all those years…"

"Pleasure to see you, too, Dr. Wu. It's been a long time. This is my girlfriend, Pepper Potts, and my good friend Colonel James Rhodes, whom I already spoke to you about," Tony introduced the other two and Dr. Wu also shook their hands smiling friendly.

"Well, Mr. Stark, how are you feeling? Ready for your big day tomorrow?" The doctor asked.

"I guess so… Wait, here I've got the ampoule with the virus we talked about." Tony grasped the small tube he had placed on the little table near the bed and handed it over to Dr. Wu.

"Very good. How long will it take until its effect sets in?"

"According to my calculations, about 12 hours until the full effect is present."

"Good. We'll administer you the remedy tonight before going to bed then. The nurse is going to take your blood pressure in a moment and then bring you to X-raying, thus we'll have the latest image of your ribcage. After that, I'll come again to you."

Dr. Wu nodded to all the present and left the room. The nurse indicated to Tony to sit down. She got the blood pressure meter from her tunic's pocket and strapped the cuff on Tony's upper arm since he had rolled up his sleeve. She took the measurement and noted down the results on a piece of paper.

"Please follow me, Sir," she said afterwards.

"See you later!" Tony gave Pepper a kiss and followed the nurse out of the room.

Rhodey seated himself in one of the arm chairs in the sitting area while Pepper glanced around undecided if there still was something to be unpacked. He watched her for a while, then asked: "How are you doing so far?"

Pepper took a deep breath and let herself sink onto the bed. "No idea, to be honest. I'm scared… and then again I'm happy for Tony that he'll lead a normal life again. Provided nothing will go wrong…"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Same here. But you know that Tony is much too stubborn to die just like that…" Rhodey gave Pepper an encouraging smile.

"Oh yeah, he can be stubborn. And he's a fighter… hopefully that will help him."

After a few minutes Tony came back, shortly afterwards Dr. Wu followed.

"Your blood pressure is a little high, Mr. Stark, but that's probably down to the excitement regarding the operation. Nothing to worry about. The X-ray images show all splinters clearly. There are no questions from my end. Do you have any questions concerning the surgery's procedure?"

"No, I think I understood everything from our previous phone calls and e-mails. You first remove the splinters, and only then the reactor too when it's not needed anymore. I'm aware of the risks, of course."

"Very good. If you would then kindly sign the informed consent?"

The doctor held a ball pen and a folder out to Tony, and on the folder a multi-page document was attached. Although Tony normally hated to receive things, he took the papers without hesitating this time, quickly skimmed the pages and signed on the designated position. He then returned the papers to Dr. Wu.

"You are allowed to eat something until 8 PM, after that not anymore, please. You may drink normally before going to bed, but tomorrow morning your stomach has to be completely empty. Around 10 PM the night nurse will come and administer you the Extremis-serum. I'll see you tomorrow at 8 o'clock." Dr. Wu said goodbye to everyone and then left the suite.

"Anybody feels like going out for dinner?" Tony asked to everybody around. Rhodey and Pepper looked tiredly at him; they still felt the effect of the jetlag. Only Tony seemed to be full of energy.

"Come on, folks! The last meal dates back for hours. And who knows when I'll be able and allowed to eat again…" Tony put on his famous puppy dog eyes and at this sight, Pepper and Rhodey burst into snorting laughter. For a short moment, the tension vanished.

"It's OK, buddy, you won," Rhodey relented grinningly.

"Alright, let's look for a restaurant in the vicinity," Pepper agreed as well. "It won't do any harm to eat something."

"That's what I wanted to hear!" Tony beamed. After all had dressed in their jackets, Tony put one arm around Pepper's waist, the other on Rhodey's shoulder and the three of them left the room first, and then the hospital.

Three hours later, Tony and Pepper returned to the hospital after dropping Rhodey at his hotel. It had been growing bitterly cold, but fortunately it wasn't snowing. Nevertheless, they were happy to be back in the building. They had discovered a cute, small restaurant a few streets further where they had tasted original Asian delicacies. Against expectations, the evening had been quite relaxed since they had all tried to enjoy the last hours before Tony's operation as much as possible.

"Pretty cold outside," Pepper said while she undressed from her winter coat. She rubbed her upper arms with her hands. "I'm chilled to the bones."

"Oh, I knew something to quickly get you warm again," Tony smirked and embraced Pepper from behind. "Are you in the mood for a hot shower? We still have an hour until the nurse will come…"

Pepper turned her head a bit to the side so she could look at Tony. "And what if she's coming earlier?" She asked.

"Well, then she hears the shower rushing and probably comes again later."

"I'll let the water warm up then," Pepper laughed and ran into the bathroom. Tony followed her immediately.

Ninety minutes later, they were lying cuddled up in bed. The extra bed wouldn't be needed this night.

"Can you please scratch my arm? The injection spot is itching," Tony moaned. Since he held Pepper in his arm, he couldn't reach the prick himself. Pepper met his request and rubbed gently his arm.

"Better?"

"A bit… now my whole arm started to tingle. Feels strange.

"As long as it's only that… in my case it felt like burning from the inside," Pepper remarked drily.

"Sorry, I know you had to go through worse. But my arm is driving me crazy!"

Tony scrunched up his face when he tried to ignore the itching. But Pepper took pity on him and stroke with her fingernails over said spot.

"When I'm done with the surgery," Tony said quietly, "and I'm back on my feet, we should go on a vacation, you and I. To an exotic island maybe… sun, sea and beach… and only the two of us. What do you say?"

"Sounds fantastic," Pepper answered. The thought of maybe never putting this vacation into action made her throat choke and she felt her eyes getting teary. However, she pulled herself together as she didn't want Tony to worry about her, too. There was something she had to tell him though, before it was too late.

"Tony?" She whispered.

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"I just want you to know how much I love you. No matter what happens tomorrow. Don't you ever forget that, OK?"

"You MUST love me. There is no other explanation how you could bear with me for so many years." Tony silently laughed.

"I'm serious, Tony. I don't know how… I could live on without you." Her voice nearly broke saying this.

"You won't have to." Tony held her closely and kissed her forehead that rested on his chest. "You won't get rid of me so easily. Now try to sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

Pepper closed her eyes and winked a few tears away. She listened to the faint buzz that the arc reactor was emanating and she felt its slight vibration that made her skin prickle. The gentle blue light that was shimmering through Tony's t-shirt accompanied her into a light sleep. Somewhere in her subconsciousness she heard Tony's voice before she passed out completely. _I love you too. More than you can ever imagine…_


	19. Chapter 17

The big day has come: Tony's surgery... how will it end? Damn, the movie told us already.. so, you don't need to worry.. :-) But, maybe I was a bit creative again.. :-D

To answer the last guest review: no, Giant Bunny has house ban here... ;-)

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**Chapter 17**

So he was finally lying on the operating table, his arms stretched out to the left and right of him on two metals tables for support. Around his right arm he was wearing a cuff monitoring his blood pressure and an IV line was sticking in the crook of his left arm. Tiny acupuncture needles were spread all around his torso and also on his face. Beforehand, Dr. Wu had explained to him that with the help of acupuncture the patient could better be prepared for the procedure as this technique helped to calm and relax the patient. As a result, it was possible to use the anesthetic in a lower dose. Tony was no physician and usually he only believed in things he could calculate from a formula. Therefore, he was a bit skeptical towards that method initially. But it really seemed to work.

When he had woken up that morning, after a night during which he had lain more awake than sleeping, he had been restless and nervous. The last half hour before fetching him, he had spent with pacing about the room and driving Pepper mad. She hadn't been able to calm him either. As soon as the first needles had been placed, he had realized that he was slowly relaxing. His breathing had reached a normal rate and his heart also wasn't beating as if he was doing a sprint, anymore.

Pepper… she too had slept fitfully. About once every hour she had been awake and had looked at him as if she had to assure herself that he was still there. Now she was standing with Rhodey a few yards from him behind a glass panel and waved to him. She smiled bravely, but he felt that inside her it was the contrary. Her eyes betrayed her as they looked sad and fearful. And would he'd been closer he would have discovered the revealing tears glistening in the corners of her eyes which she could just barely hold back.

"Ready, Mr. Stark?" Dr. Wu looked down at Tony, like always with a friendly smile on his face. Tony only nodded and the doctor moved the surgical mask over his face. One of the present surgical nurses put an inhalation mask on Tony's face and in a moment the narcotic gas escaped from it. He quickly looked straight upwards into the blinding light of the operation lamp which was located vertically above his chest and brightly illuminated the required area. He then turned his eyes to Pepper and Rhodey again. He saw Pepper struggling with tears, despite the unswerving smile on her lips. Rhodey, who was standing behind her, was laying his hand reassuringly on her shoulder just now. Tony indicated them with a thumb-up that he was doing fine. Then the narcotic gas kicked in and he fell asleep.

When Pepper saw that Tony's eyes had closed, she couldn't pull herself together anymore. She started to sob uncontrollably. Rhodey stepped beside her and gently put his arms around her.

"It's alright, he's gonna make it…," he tried to calm Pepper.

After a few minutes, she controlled herself again and freed herself from Rhodey's embrace.

"I'm sorry, Rhodey. I didn't want to cry my heart out in front of you."

"It's OK. This situation isn't easy for me either."

"Considering that you're calmness itself."

"That's because I would never admit in front of Tony how important he is to me. Otherwise he'd think I like him or something," Rhodey smirked. Even Pepper had to smile at this remark. She turned back to the glass panel that revealed the view into the operating room and watched Dr. Wu and his team at work.

The hours seemed to elapse as if in slow-motion. Dr. Wu had scheduled the surgery to last for about 6 to 8 hours, given that they would proceed without unplanned complications. Pepper didn't move an inch the whole time. She didn't eat, she didn't sit down. And if Rhodey hadn't provided her with some water and tea, then she hadn't drunk anything either. But she had promised Tony to not leave his side and she didn't intend to break this promise. Attentively, she followed how little cuts were made to Tony's chest bit by bit and more and more slivers came out. Dr. Wu had the X-ray image right beside him so he could precisely locate the positions. When there were no more splinters left, the second step was to remove the reactor itself from the ribcage. This was the real difficult part as Dr. Wu had to be careful to not injure any blood vessel, nerve or even the heart itself.

Pepper looked at her watch for the apparently thousandth time, but it was only five minutes later than the time before she had looked at it. Rhodey was with her most of the time. A few times, he went away; however, to make phone calls, they must have been important if he was being disturbed during his off days, at the other end of the world.

Shortly after 6 PM Dr. Wu finally closed the last suture and Tony's ribcage was carefully covered with a sterile bandage. The surgeon looked exhausted when he took off the surgical mask and the head covering, but he also seemed to be satisfied. He then left the operating room and came into the side room in which Pepper and Rhodey were waiting.

"The surgery went well," he started, "albeit he's not 100% over the worst yet. I've placed him in an artificial coma to still spare his body and his circulation. In one or two days we'll wake him up and then we'll see how he's doing."

"Thank you very much, Dr. Wu!" Pepper took the physician's hand.

"Don't thank me yet, Miss Potts. It's not over yet even if his state is stable for now. I'm very curious about the impact of this Extremis-virus. After such a heavy operation a patient would usually need several weeks if not even months before you can speak of a full recovery." He released Pepper's hand. "Mr. Stark will be brought back to his room now and connected to the necessary equipment. After that, you can go to him." He nodded towards Pepper and Rhodey and left the room.

The two of them then headed back to the suite and waited in front of the door until the nursing staff had finished. Afterwards, they entered the room. It was a surreal sight that presented itself to them. Tony was lying in the bed he had spent the night before with Pepper on his side, connected to several infusion bags and the screen that monitored his cardiovascular activities. His torso was bare except for the wide bandage that covered the surgical wound in his chest. To Pepper, Tony had always been the embodiment of strength, vitality and unruly joy of living. All the more it hurt her now to see him motionless and pale, depending on medical machines.

_But it's only temporary_, she said to herself. _In a few days he'll wake up and will be his old self again. Well, almost his old self… _She went to the side of the bed that was closest to her, sat down on the edge and took his hand in her.

Rhodey who stood behind her cleared his throat: "Shall I leave you alone for a while?"

Pepper turned her head towards him: "I'm sorry. No, just sit down. I'm sure he knows that we both are here with him. That will help him." She shortly smiled, then looked back at Tony and caressed his face. Rhodey went around the bed to the other side and pulled up an armchair to sit himself beside the bed. Earlier that morning he had brought himself something to read – fortunately, there were American newspapers in his hotel – so he was occupied for the moment.

Half an hour later, somebody knocked at the door and a nurse pushed a serving cart into the room.

"I'm bringing dinner," she said. Pepper looked wonderingly at the young woman first, than at Rhodey.

"I've arranged some catering for us, otherwise you might pass out," he replied with a wink. The nurse put two plates along with cutlery on the small table in the sitting area and pushed the cart back outside.

"Come on," Rhodey nodded to Pepper, "let's eat something."

Hesitatingly, she stood up from the bed, but then followed Rhodey's request. They sat down at the table, opposite to each other, and began to eat. Or actually, Rhodey was eating; Pepper was more picking in her food.

"Don't you like it?" he asked some time later.

"I do… I'm just not very hungry."

"But you have to eat, Pepper! How do you want to be there for Tony and help him if you don't take care for yourself?"

"Yeah, you're right…" She fully loaded her fork and put it into her mouth.

"Good girl" Rhodey chuckled.

"Yes, _Dad_," Pepper grinned back and both had to laugh at that. "Sometimes I think Tony doesn't know what a good friend he has in you," she said then.

"I think he does… I mean, you know how it's among men. You don't talk about feelings and stuff…. But you know who you can rely on. Even if Tony would never say it loud, I know he'd do the same for me if I'd be in his situation. But thanks…" He smiled modestly and for a second Pepper could have sworn he had blushed.

Silently, they finished their dinner before they took their previous places and Rhodey finished reading his newspaper. After a while, he said goodbye.

"I'll leave you two alone for today; I have to catch up with my sleep." Rhodey looked sternly at Tony's motionless face."Don't do anything stupid, buddy! I don't wanna hear any complaint from Pepper!"

Pepper stood up smiling. "I think he'll behave." She hugged Rhodey and kissed his cheek. "Thank you for going through this day with me."

"You're welcome. See you tomorrow. Oh and, breakfast will be served at 8..."

After Rhodey left, Pepper sat back to Tony on the bed. He was lying there so peacefully. If there wouldn't be the breathing hose hanging out of the corner of his mouth and the electrodes that monitored his cardiac activity, you could think he was simply sleeping soundly. While she was watching him, Pepper noticed the fatigue was overwhelming her. The short night and the long day took their toll, and after all she wasn't 20 anymore. Therefore she decided to slowly get ready for the night. She didn't like it, however, that the second bed was standing so far away. That had to be changed. There was a nightstand between the two beds and Pepper put it out of the way first. Subsequently, the bed itself was next. In contrast to the hospital bed, the extra bed wasn't equipped with casters but was standing on stable feet. She had quite some difficulty moving the bed just even some inches. Just in that moment, when she was struggling with the heavy piece of furniture, someone knocked on the door again and the night nurse entered. She held two infusion bags and looked confused at Pepper who interrupted her action, gasping for breath.

"You're coming at the right time. When you've finished, I need your help for a moment," she said relieved to the dark-haired young woman. The nurse changed the empty containers at the intravenous pole for the full ones and then gave Pepper a questioning look.

"Please help me move this bed near the other one," Pepper appealed. Without a word the nurse lent a hand and together the two women succeeded in getting the bed into the desired position. Now both beds were standing right beside each other.

"Thank you," Pepper said to the young woman who nodded with a smile and then left.

Pepper grabbed her sleeping attire and went to the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, she crawled under the blanket, dressed in a pajama. She slid towards the edge of the bed as far but also as close as possible to Tony without accidentally touching his wound. She put her hand on his and kissed his forehead. She then let her head sink onto the pillow and closed her eyes.


	20. Chapter 18

The end is near... the end of this story, of course... ;-) only three chapters left!

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**Chapter 18**

When Pepper woke up the next morning, she was disoriented for a short moment. The unfamiliar bed, Tony didn't lie near her… She then saw him lying half a yard away beside her and she knew again where she was. She bent over to him and lightly kissed his stubbly cheek.

"Good morning, sunshine," she murmured. She closed her eyes, buried her face in the crook of his neck and inhaled the scent of his skin. Sighing, she let go of him and swung her legs out of the bed. For a second, she sat undecidedly on the edge. It was so oddly quiet. Usually, Tony could barely keep his big mouth shut and was incessantly cracking jokes or grumbling about some technical project that didn't work properly. Not even Jarvis was here to make conversation with her. Fortunately, Rhodey would arrive soon, and then she would have company again. She looked at her watch, it was just before 7. Still an hour until breakfast would be brought. Pepper decided to take a shower for now. The world would surely look a bit better afterwards.

After the shower, she got her laptop and checked the received e-mails. She hadn't worked for one day only, and a considerable amount of work had already accumulated again. She started reading and answering a few, but then flipped the device shut, annoyed after short time and pushed it aside. _Still half an hour until breakfast_. She switched on the TV in hopes of finding some acceptable program to distract her. She sat down on the bed near Tony as the TV was mounted on the opposite wall, and she zapped through the channels. It was a potpourri of Asian, European and American channels that were received. She then got caught on a channel showing a newscast right now. Images of her and Tony were shown in the presenter's background.

_"Since the assault on his mansion, nothing has been seen or heard from billionaire and self-appointed superhero Anthony Stark. Concerning the mysterious events at Bloomingdale's in New York almost one week ago in which the CEO of Stark Industries and –as is known- cohabitant has been involved, there hasn't been a statement neither from the corporation nor from one of the persons involved so far. That Miss Potts really has been involved in the robbery on the department store can be concluded from the fact that the Head of Legal department at Stark Industries has been involved in the adjustment of the occurred damages. There are rumors the official jet has left New York a few days ago with unknown destination. With all this recently heard from Stark and persons he is associated with, you really have to ask one question: does enough money protect you from prosecution of any kind, indeed? Or do you just have to have enough friends in positions of influence? For this question, we've invited the society expert…"_

Pepper had heard enough and switched off the TV again. She then turned to Tony and said: "They've got no idea what really happened…. If this ever stops, what do you think? Yeah, I thought so…"

There was a knock on the door and a male nurse brought in the breakfast Rhodey had organized. Fortunately, there was also coffee which she needed most at the moment. Shortly after, Rhodey turned up as well.

"Good morning. And, did you have a quiet night?" He asked.

"Too quiet for my taste," Pepper sighed and took a sip of her coffee. "Would you like some?"

"No, thanks. I already had three cups to get awake again. Has Dr. Wu already been here this morning?"

"No, not yet. But he'll surely do his round shortly."

As if right on cue, someone knocked on the door and Dr. Wu entered, accompanied by a nurse.

"Good morning," he greeted the two of them. "Let's see after Mr. Stark." The physician walked towards the bed, checked the indications on the screen and wrote down the results. Afterwards, he took a small flashlight out of the pocket of his coat and checked Tony's pupillary light reflex. "Looks well so far," he said satisfied. "Let's see how it looks under the bandage. Nurse?"

The woman that assisted him put on sterile gloves and began to remove the bandage at its sides until the surgical wound was laid open.

"That's amazing," Dr. Wu said, obviously surprised. "Normally, such a healing success would have been achieved in 7 to 10 days at the earliest, not in 14 hours! New muscle tissue without transplantation… and the skin is already regenerating, too. That's a wonder, indeed!" He uttered delightedly. He then said to Pepper and Rhodey: "If his results still remain so stable, we'll start to reduce the anesthetic in 24 hours to wake him from the coma."

Dr. Wu still shook his head unbelievingly when he left. The nurse who had accompanied him, put on Tony a new dressing, and changed the infusion bags. She then left, too. When they were alone again, Pepper joyfully threw her arms around Rhodey's neck. Surprised, he hugged her back; he didn't know her so gushing like that.

"I can't believe it, he has nearly made it," she laughed happily, released Rhodey and seated herself on the bed next to Tony.

"The guy has more luck than brains sometimes. Which is saying something at _his_ brains…"

_And he is damn lucky to have a woman like Pepper by his side_, he had to admit enviously to himself. Usually, she was always very disciplined and controlled. Rarely, he had witnessed her to vent her emotions. With Tony as her boss, she certainly had learned to build a thick skin and a kind of protective barrier, Rhodey assumed. But now, when it came to Tony's life, the façade she had built within the last years was blown away. His cell phone's vibration interrupted his thoughts, though. He excused himself and went outside to answer the phone. A couple of minutes later, he returned.

"Pepper, I'm sorry, but I have to depart." Pepper turned around to face him.

"Did something happen?"

"An emergency situation, national security, the usual..."

"Shall I get the Stark jet get ready for you?"

"No, not necessary. I'll take a regular flight to Seoul. Not far, there is the Osan Air Base where an F-16 is waiting to bring me to Washington."

Pepper stood up and hugged him again.

"Thank you for your help."

"Don't mention it. Call me when he's awake."

"I'll do."

Rhodey let go of her, had a look at Tony –_I'm sorry, buddy_— and set off.

"Well, seems we're alone now," Pepper said and took a seat on the bed near Tony again. She took his hand and pressed it against her face. She spent the rest of the day sitting with her laptop on the extra bed near Tony and finishing the leftover work as well as she could. Normally, she could separate work well away from private affairs to not let it disturb her concentration. But this time it was difficult for her. The anticipation of the next day and the hours coming after, drove her merely over the edge. The last time she was so happy was when being a little girl, during the night before Christmas, when she knew the gifts would wait for her under the Christmas tree the next morning. At this thought, she had to laugh aloud, and she looked surreptitiously at Tony. If he knew what she was feeling right now… oh dear, she would have no argument anymore to ever denying him anything.

The next morning, the time had come. Dr. Wu decided that Tony was ready to get him out of coma. The dose of medicine would be gradually reduced at zero to wake him up slowly. The breathing hose was removed since he could breathe on his own without anesthesia. The hours passed, and Pepper didn't dare to leave Tony's side as he could wake up any minute. But nothing happened. His body didn't show any movement.

"Dr. Wu, what's going on with him, why doesn't he wake up?"An obviously exhausted and scared Pepper asked the physician when Tony was still unconscious even after 24 hours.

"I wished this could be answered so easily, Miss Potts. From a medical point of view, there's no reason why he hasn't regained consciousness yet. But the human brain still leaves behind great mysteries. Just be patient. He will awake when he's ready."

"Can I do anything?"

"Talk to him, read him something. If he knows you're there, that will surely help."


	21. Chapter 19

Wake up, Neo... pardon, Tony... wrong movie... :-) Yep, we've reached the second last chapter... only this one and then the finale!

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**Chapter 19**

Darkness. Stillness. He tried to open his eyes but his lids didn't obey his will. What happened to him? He _knew_ he was at the hospital. He _remembered_ the surgery. Suddenly, he heard sounds, but they were quite faint, as if from far away. Were there basses and guitar riffs? He couldn't recognize any melody; the sounds were too muffled for that.

_Okay, what else could she do? She read him some of the e-mails that had come in and some articles she had found on the internet. She had watched movies with him and commented the plot until her throat was aching and she nearly was tongue-tied. She then had another idea. She took out Tony's cell phone as she knew he had stored music on it, put his earphones into his ears and let the stored songs play in a random order. AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Linkin Park… all songs he had already listened to for a hundred of times certainly. Maybe this helped to bring him back…_

Maybe he was dead and this here was the forecourt of hell? After all, _he_ didn't need to think about heaven. If there was something like heaven and hell anyway… Suddenly, voices… they spoke all at once so he couldn't understand what they were saying. Jarvis? Happy? Fury? Steve? He thought he recognized them, and then again he didn't. Until one voice became louder than the other ones and only this one resounded through his mind.

"What's wrong with you, boy? Are you too chicken to wake up again?" It was the voice of his father, Howard Stark.

_The music was playing for hours in a continuous loop, but Tony hadn't shown any reaction yet._

_"Why don't you wake up? What's preventing you? Please, I need you… come back to me!"_

"That's so typical of you: you start something first, and then you don't bring it to an end. You were like this as a kid already!"

"What do you mean? Of course I want to wake up!" Tony was shocked. Not only that he had heard his dead father's voice, his own voice sounded like a ten-year-old boy.

"Oh Anthony, don't fool yourself! You thought you could just get rid of the arc-reactor and then go on living as before? You must be joking! You are SCARED without it because you got used to it too much, and now you can't live a normal life at all!"

"That's not true! I don't need the reactor anymore… just as little as I need your advice, father!" To his great relief, Tony sounded like himself again.

"Oh Howard, stop bothering the boy. He has truly suffered enough…"

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart. Don't listen to your father. He's mistaken in you, as often…"

"You always have to defend him, Maria. For God's sake, he's no child anymore!""You didn't treat me like a kid when I was one…"

"As if it was my fault that you came into the world with an IQ of 145 and that you've always been cheeky and precocious! How could I have treated you like a normal child?"

"Howard… you didn't behave like a father either. And I failed in being a mother as I allowed you to push Tony off to a boarding school."

"It's alright, Mom. I don't reproach you. I know Howard always enforced what _he_ wanted! Funny, I always asked myself where I got this stubbornness from. Guess from whom, DAD?"

_"Tony, I can't go any longer…" After hours of crying she had no strength anymore, not even some tears. Only a fragile voice. "Don't leave me alone. I love you…"_

"I never could do anything right for you, but this is not about you! I don't have to prove you anything…"

From a distance, he could hear another voice. It was no more than a whisper. _Tony!_

"There is one person in my life who never left me alone despite the fact that I'm not perfect. I don't know how often I've probably disappointed her. But for some reason she loves me, ME, got that?" The voice grew louder. _Tony!_ "Not what I achieved or how much money I have… just… me. Only by her I know what it means to love somebody so much that your own life becomes worthless without her. Have you ever felt that way, father?"

_I love you! Come back to me…_ It was Pepper's voice! His father's voice rose again, mixed with his mother's one. He didn't understand anymore what they were saying, didn't want to either. He only wanted to hear Pepper's voice. Tony focused on her voice, tried to fade out the other ones. And finally they fell silent. _Tony… _

_I'm coming, Honey, don't give me up! _

He tried again to open his eyes, to blink, to do anything! All of a sudden, he felt a burning pain in his chest. His mouth was dust-dry. And a warm hand caressed tenderly his face. His eyelids fluttered when he opened them carefully. The brightness around him dazzled him, and he had to blink a few times before he got used to the light. The first things he saw were blue eyes, framed by strawberry-blonde hair. Little-by-little, the face that he had missed profoundly was forming in front of him.

"Pep…" He couldn't get out more than her name. But this wasn't necessary either. With eyes red from crying, but now shining, Pepper bent over him and softly kissed his lips.

"Welcome back," she whispered.

After Tony had become awake, Pepper immediately informed Dr. Wu. She waited in the corridor in front of the room while Tony was examined. Tiredly, she rubbed her face and her burning eyes. She then pulled out her phone from her pants pocket and typed a message to Rhodey: _He's awake_. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She was so tired she could have fallen asleep standing up. But above all, she was happy and relieved. Silently, she smiled to herself. A few minutes later that seemed to her like an eternity, the examination was finished and she could go back to Tony.

"Hey, Beauty," he welcomed her while she entered. His voice still sounded weak and hoarse, but a small smile played around the corners of his mouth. He leaned faintly against the pillows. Pepper smiled back and approached his bed. "You look tired, Honey. Dr. Wu said I was absent longer than planned. I'm sorry…"

She sat down next to him and took his hand like she had done so many times within the past days.

"You don't have to be. It's only important that you're with me again. How do you feel?"

"As if I had a hole in my chest," he joked and immediately scrunched his face distorted with pain. "Okay, no jokes until my chest is fully healed. Feels strange though. As if something was missing…"

"Well, it is…," Pepper replied.

"No, that's not what I mean. Due to the reactor I always had the feeling of a weight pressing on my chest. That's disappeared now. I feel somehow… lighter."

"And, does it feel good?"

"Yes."

"That's the main thing." She stroked through his hair and over his now bearded face.

"I have to shave urgently, right?"

"Yep. A few more days in coma and you would have looked like a yeti. But I love you nonetheless."

"Where is Rhodey hiding, the old scoundrel?"

"He was recalled to Washington. Some important matter."

"The dear Pentagon. What had they done if he really had been on vacation?"

"He'd stayed if he'd been able to, believe me." With difficulty, she suppressed a yawn.

"And I believe you have to sleep."

Pepper only nodded. Quickly, she undressed from her clothes, leaving her undergarments on, and slipped inside the bed under the blanket of the extra bed that still stood directly beside Tony's bed. This time she slid next to him so she could cuddle into his arm. Usually, her hand lay on his chest, but this time she put it on his stomach as the wound was still healing. Tony squeezed her and kissed her forehead.

"By the way, Dr. Wu earlier said that if my chest keeps healing at this speed, then I can go home in a few days already. Isn't that unbelievable?"

With a smile on her lips, Pepper fell asleep within seconds.

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**Everyone happy now? :-)**


	22. Chapter 20

Okay folks, here it comes, the BIG FINALE! Extra long, extra romantic, with extra Pepperony...:-D Have fun, I'll see you back at the end of the chapter!

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**Chapter 20**

Three weeks had elapsed since the surgery. Three weeks in which he had stared in disbelief into the mirror each time he had stood in front of it. Instead of the blue-glowing reactor that had accompanied him for the last years, only a pale, vertical scar was running across his chest. Nothing more had remained of the operation thanks to the Extremis-virus.

Now he was sitting in his workshop at Stark Tower and looked at the metal splinters lying in a small plastic box in front of him. He had asked Dr. Wu to hand them over to him after the operation without Pepper witnessing anything as he intended to do something special with the splinters. At the beginning, he hadn't been sure why he wanted to keep the splinters. Sentiment, maybe? But then he realized that these little metal pieces were the reason how much his life had changed. And without this change, Pepper probably wouldn't have committed herself to a relationship with him. Seeing it from this perspective, he even had to be thankful for these little devils.

Therefore, he had relentlessly spent the last days with working on a design. No suit this time, but something filigree, wonderfully beautiful. Absolutely unknown territory for someone who was only experienced in the development of weapon systems. But he would manage that somehow. What really caused him quite a headache was the way of presenting his gift to Pepper. When and where it should happen was already planned. But the _how_? He had no idea. His problem was that he could barely talk for 5 seconds with Pepper about feelings without starting to stammer. Normally, he was eloquent and never at a loss for a witty remark, but in front of Pepper, he often enough felt like a twelve-year-old with a crush on his French teacher, not knowing how to tell her. Of course, Pepper knew what he felt for her. Nevertheless, sometimes it was necessary to express it as well. And for this occasion it was essential!

Frustrated as the right words wouldn't cross his mind, he sat in front of his computer and fine-tuned the last details of his construction. A random playlist of his music collection was playing in the background. Suddenly, he sat up and took notice. What had he just heard?

"Jarvis, rewind the song for 30 seconds!" The song restarted at the desired position.

_Waiting for the end to come..._

_Wishing I had strength to stand..._

_This is not what I had planned..._

_It's out of my control..._

_Flying at the speed of light,_

_Thoughts were spinning in my head._

_So many things were left unsaid._

_It's hard to let you go..._

How often had he heard this song from Linkin Park without listening properly? And now his only thought was: that's what he had wanted to say to Pepper back then, when he had transported the bomb through the worm hole, but didn't come about to do. And even later he hadn't found the right words to tell her what had crossed his mind during that moment. But now he knew what he needed: the right music. He just had to think about what exactly he wanted to express and then find the right one from a few million songs. Didn't sound so difficult, did it?

Two weeks later, the big day had arrived. It was Valentine's Day, the perfect time for his purpose. After they had returned from Shanghai, Pepper had established an office a few floors down as she had been sick of hiding any longer. Furthermore, she wanted to be closer to the staff and not only to communicate via phone and e-mail. Tony took a look at his watch, it was 11 AM. Showtime!

At the same time in Pepper's office. She was sitting with some employees at a conference table and discussed the strategy for some current projects, when one of the secretaries knocked on the door.

"Excuse me for the disruption, Miss Potts."

"It's alright, Diane, what's the matter?"

"Uhm, a delivery for you has arrived."

"Okay, then accept it and bring it to me later." Pepper didn't understand the problem.

"The delivery is quite… enormous. And the delivery man says he had strict order to deliver it to you in person."

"Alright." She sighed and looked at her employees. "Short break. Send him in."

Diane waved to somebody and opened the office door as widely as she could. A deliverer brought in a gigantic bouquet of red roses. And this deliverer wasn't the only one. In astonishment, Pepper witnessed how her office was filling more and more until about one dozen bouquets had turned her office into a rose garden. Her employees were used to all kinds of strange things; after all she was involved with one of the most eccentric persons in the world. But that was new even for them, and corresponding confusedly they were looking at each other. Strictly speaking, the male colleagues were looking perplexed, the female ones rather rapturously. When all bouquets of roses were at their places, one of the delivery men gave Pepper an envelope. "Happy Valentine's Day, Ma'am." Then they left.

Pepper saw the curious looks of her employees, but she didn't let show how surprised but also pleased she was. She opened the envelope with hands that trembled with excitement and pulled out a card. On the card, it was written in Tony's clear handwriting: _Awaiting you at 6:30 PM dressed ready for Valentine's Date. Be on time! I love you. _With pounding heart and a smile, Pepper put the card back into the envelope and stored it away in her handbag. Her employees looked expectantly.

"If we could continue, please?" Pepper was fully concentrated on her work again, except for that revealing glow in her eyes.

In the afternoon, Pepper finished work extra on time and made her way upstairs to the penthouse. Arrived there, she was welcomed by Jarvis.

"Welcome Miss Potts, Mr. Stark sends word to you that he's waiting in the workshop until you are ready."

"You don't know – by any chance – what he's planning, do you?" She asked casually when she walked into the bedroom and undressed there from her shoes and lady's suit.

"Of course, I know, Miss Potts. But I have been bound to utmost secrecy."

Smiling, Pepper jumped into the shower. What was Tony concocting? He wasn't quite the type of a man to whom Valentine's Day was particularly important. Then again, in the last weeks he had been somehow… more attentive than usual. It was hard to put in words, after all Tony Stark was always good at surprises. When she finished the shower and did her hair, she stood undecidedly in front of her wardrobe. Finally, she decided for a knee-length, grey chiffon dress with slim straps and a V-shaped neckline. Under the bust line it was slightly ruffled and the sheer fabric was waving around her slim body. Along with it, she chose a simple pair of diamond ear studs and silver-grey high-heeled sandals. She wore her hair loose so that the red mane formed a nice contrast to the simple dress. Some makeup and a waft of the perfume Tony liked so much completed her outfit.

"Jarvis, tell Tony I'm ready."

Excited, she went to the living room that Tony accessed just this very minute, too. He wore a narrow, white jacket with a white shirt and black pants. He had foregone the tie and left the top buttons open. He looked just magnificent. Tony looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time; with a slightly open mouth and wide eyes.

"You look gorgeous," he said finally when he stood directly in front of her. Somehow he still managed her blushing at his compliments.

"You don't look bad either, Mr. Stark," Pepper replied and put her hands around his neck.

Tony pulled her near and gently kissed her. He then said: "Our cab is waiting."

Pepper slipped on her coat and took her handbag. Tony took her hand and together they rode the elevator downstairs. The waiting cab turned out to be a white, stretched limousine. Their chauffeur wore in proper style a black suit and a peaked cap, and kept the car door open for them.

"Okay, Mr. Stark, whereto are you abducting me tonight?" Pepper asked when they were both sitting in the car.

"Well, Miss Potts, I took the liberty of reserving a table at _The View_."

"That's the revolving restaurant, isn't it?"

"You're right as always, Miss Potts. I've been told that you get a terrific view on the town from there."

Shortly after, the limousine stopped in front of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in which two top floors the restaurant _The View_ was situated. The chauffeur kept open the door for his passengers and they got out of the car. An express elevator whisked them to the 48th floor in a minimum amount of time. Pepper handed off her coat at the reception, and then they were escorted to their reserved table. Since it was Valentine's Day, the restaurant was well-attended and a piano player was entertaining the guests, couples mostly. The tables were decorated with garlands of red roses and small hearts, and also the restaurant itself was bedecked appropriate for the occasion.

"I think they're all staring at us," Pepper whispered when they sat at their table.

"Certainly they do. With a beauty like you on my side, all present men would love nothing better than to swap places with me, and their women know that," Tony answered grinningly and made Pepper chuckle with that.

Relaxed, they enjoyed the ordered meal and the wine. It was a beautiful evening like they hadn't spent together for a long time. But somehow Pepper couldn't get rid of the feeling that Tony was nervous. Each time he felt unwatched he drummed with his fingertips on the table. Or did she just imagine that? Probably, she was reading more into his behavior than necessary. And nonetheless… her gut feeling was still raising the alarm.

One and a half hours and a three-course meal later, Tony suggested walking over to one of the large from-floor-to ceiling windows that revealed the view on the city. Pepper stood directly in front of the window and Tony stood behind her, his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder. The sight of the illuminated town in front of them was majestic.

"Do you like the evening so far?" Tony asked quietly.

"Yes, very much." In the window's reflection he could see Pepper smiling.

Tony released one hand from Pepper, grabbed into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out something.

"I've got here a little something for you that will probably increase the whole thing a bit…" He held the _something_ in front of her face. It was a necklace.

"Tony," slipped out of Pepper's mouth with surprise. She carefully took the necklace and looked at it. It was a heart-shaped ruby in a platinum setting. At the ruby heart, a small drop-shaped diamond was hanging. The chain itself was directly attached to the platinum setting. Delicate circular links interrupted by splinter-shaped fragments. Splinter-shaped? Pepper turned around to Tony and looked at him with disbelief.

"Are these…?" She asked wonderingly.

"Yes, the metal splinters from my chest. Hadn't they been there, we wouldn't be here. And by you wearing them, I'll be reminded each day that I don't want to be again how I used to be before. For you…"

"Would you please put it on me?" She gave Tony the necklace, turned around and uncovered her neck. Tony did as he was told. Pepper let her hair drop again on her neck and turned back to him with the chain around her neck. She smiled tenderly at him and caressed softly his face. She then leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes for a short moment.

"It is beautiful. Thank you," she whispered.

"You are beautiful," Tony replied and looked at her lovingly. At moments like these Pepper was plain speechless. "I've got another surprise for you," he then said. He turned Pepper away from the window that she could see the piano player and embraced her from behind. He nodded to the musician. Said man finished the current song and began a new one. This time not only instrumental, but with vocals.

_When no-one else can understand me  
When everything I do is wrong  
You give me hope and consolation  
You give me strength to carry on_

_And you're always there to lend a hand  
In everything I do  
That's the wonder  
The wonder of you_

And when you smile the world is brighter  
You touch my hand and I'm a king  
Your kiss to me is worth a fortune  
Your love for me is everything

I'll guess I'll never know the reason why  
You love me as you do  
That's the wonder  
The wonder of you

When the pianist had ended, the other guests applauded enthusiastically. Not Pepper. As if paralyzed, she leaned against Tony and struggled for air with tears in her eyes. Finally, she regained her composure and looked at him.

Tony swallowed hard before he spoke: "You know, Honey, you are MY wonder. I don't know how often I've already asked myself with what I deserved you. After all those years that we've known each other and work together. After all those things I did or said that hurt you, or at least stretched your patience…"

Pepper had to smile.

"… you are still by my side and are standing by me. Nobody knows me as well as you do, my strengths and, unfortunately, my weaknesses, too. And nevertheless I may wake up every day besides you. And that gives me each day the strength to try to become a better man. For you. And if you can imagine spending also the next 50 years by my side…"

He pointed a finger at the night sky and Pepper followed his hand with her look. An Iron Man armor suddenly appeared and flew lightning-fast a zigzag course in front of her eyes until the traces of the repulsor beams had formed three words: _Marry Me, Virginia_!

"You are totally crazy, Tony Stark," was the first thing crossing Pepper's mind.

"Yeah, about you…"

The second thing was: "YES!"

**The End**

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**So everyone, what do you think? **

**Thank you to everybody who read and reviewed, followed and favorited! And thanks again to Miss Starfire for her great help with this story! Watch out for the sequel "Missing", I'm working on the translation right now (no, I didn't forget either..). It will hopefully be published soon. Bye!**


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